


An Alpha's Duty

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar (TV), Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/F, F/M, Incest, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Out of Character, Rape Recovery, Uncle/Nephew Incest, all romances other iroh/zuko are secondary, but i'll tag them if they get important, but not until then, more tags to come, most likely anyway, what am i even doing with my life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-01-04 09:25:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12166116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It has always been an older alpha's duty to take care of a younger, unbonded, related omega, particularly if he or she happens to find himself pregnant outside of bonding, or if he or she looses their bonded alpha.When Zuko comes to Iroh and asks him what he would do if Azula had ever sired a child on some poor, unsuspecting omega, Iroh honestly doesn't know the answer.  Technically, it would be his duty to bond with said omega, because Azula is incapable of raising the child.  But he never planned on bonding again, and finds himself reluctant to do his duty.Then Zuko disappears, and Iroh is left to realize the horrifying truth.  Now, he must come to a decision about whether or not he's willing to take on the traditional alpha's duty for his young nephew, and, once decided, he and Zuko must deal with the ramifications of such a decision.





	1. Chapter 1

 

“If you knew that Azula had sired a child, what would you do?”

 

Iroh glanced sharply up at his nephew, who stood in the door to his room, his brow furrowed.  Zuko looked… worried?  Perhaps.  But… why?  “Do you know something that I don’t?” Iroh asked finally, leaning back in his chair.  Was this something they needed to worry about?  Obviously, Azula had lost her mind, and there was a small chance that her insanity would carry down into her offspring…

 

Zuko, now Fire Lord and looking incredibly uncomfortable in his heavy robes, shrugged and looked away.  “I was just curious,” he said.  “Would you… you know, because she can’t… would you follow tradition?”

 

Iroh sighed, his shoulders slumping.  “Zuko, you know that I’ve never had any intention of remarrying, not after my beloved passed on while birthing Lu Ten to me.”

 

Zuko swallowed and nodded.  “I know, but sometimes… things… they happen.  And despite all of our intentions, our plans have to change.  Right?”

 

This… didn’t sound hypothetical, not anymore, and honestly, Iroh was growing concerned.  “Zuko, do you think your sister may have gotten an omega pregnant?”

 

What would they do if she had?  The thought of anyone raising a child alone in the world was terrible, but Iroh had no interest in bonding with whatever omega might have allowed Azula to mount him or her.  It might be his traditional duty, as the oldest remaining family member of the incarcerated alpha, but Iroh would much rather that another solution be found.  Maybe… maybe the child could be… 

 

No.  It was a terrible thought, to do away with a child just because he or she was inconvenient.

 

“I don’t…”  Zuko stopped talking and drew in a deep, shaky breath.  “No, of course she didn’t,” he said finally.  “I just… you know, I was wondering.  That was all.”

 

That sounded suspicious, but Iroh was willing to let the matter slide.  At least for now.  He looked back down at the paperwork on his desk, because being Zuko’s advisor wasn’t an easy thing.  “Well, if you happen to find someone that your sister got pregnant, let me know.  We’ll have to handle it somehow, and I know that you’re likely thinking of formalizing things with Mai soon, so it won’t be you.  I wouldn’t make you do that.”

 

Zuko’s breath hitched, and Iroh’s eyes widened.  He looked up, but by the time his eyes reached the door, Zuko was gone.  He half-wanted to stand and go after his nephew, to find out what was really going on, but he just sighed and settled himself more firmly in his chair.

  
Zuko would come to him when he was ready with whatever the problem was, and Iroh would deal with it then.  And if he didn’t come to him soon, Iroh would just go and find him and deal with it then.  After he dealt with this paperwork, because it tended to pile up when he wasn’t paying attention.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko let out a shuddering sigh as he leaned against the wall by Uncle’s door.  He hadn’t figured it out, at least Zuko hoped that he hadn’t, but it was probably a close call.  He should have known better than to go to him with a hypothetical question like that.  And now… now, if he… then…

 

Hopefully, no one would suspect.  Hopefully, they would just think that the job had gotten to be too much for him after years spent wandering.  If he was lucky…

 

And no one would ever know the truth about what happened.  How disgusting he was, how dirty… 

 

He left Uncle’s hallway, his hand only just brushing against his stomach before he forced it to his side.  He made himself walk normally, trying to keep himself from looking suspicious until he made it to his room, where he settled on his bed and tried to figure out his next step.

 

In the end, he took a bag of clothes, all the money he had on him, and left behind a note that apologized to Uncle Iroh for abandoning him to the duties of the Fire Lord, and asking for forgiveness from Mai for leaving her again.  He didn’t know if it would be granted or not, would likely never know, but… he had to ask.

 

And then he left, walking from the palace like it was his right.  He ducked into an alley, changed into travelling clothes, complete with a dark hood to cover his face and his scar, the same one he’d worn while on the run only a handful of months ago, and disappeared into the vast city in front of him.

 

He couldn’t stay, not for long, but he would find a way to get far enough away that no one would ever find him again.  No one would know, and he’d be able to raise his children in peace, and hope that they never learned the truth about their heritage.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh had never regretted anything more than he regretted not going after Zuko the day that he’d run out of his office.  His nephew had been crying, and now he knew it.  He knew it because, whether or not Zuko realized it, the note he’d left behind had been spotted with his tears, and had been written in far too shaky a hand.

 

Iroh scrubbed a hand over his face.  It had been a month since Zuko had disappeared, and he’d worn the note out, so many times had he pulled it from his pockets to examine it.  He’d been looking, everyone had, but it was like Zuko had just… vanished.

 

Iroh wasn’t surprised, that they couldn’t find him, not really.  Zuko was… phenomenally clever, and apparently incredibly motivated.   _ If you knew that Azula had sired a child, what would you do? _  The question played over and over in his head.

 

What a strange question for Zuko to ask just before disappearing.  Why would he ask it?  Iroh never would have made him bond to whoever the omega in question was, so he didn’t understand…  And it wasn’t like Zuko could be the mother, given that he was an alpha.

 

Iroh knew that he was missing a piece of a very large picture, but he also knew that he was clever enough to have figured out if Zuko was hiding something so dramatic as being an omega.  They’d travelled together for years, after all.  There was no way…

 

And besides, Azula had lost her mind, but there was no way that she would have sired a child on her own brother.  The thought was…

 

_ It’s happened before. _

 

Of course it had.  It wasn’t like it was entirely unheard of, a set of siblings bonding, or even a father or uncle bonding to a child or nephew, but to think of Ozai allowing such a thing to occur…  No.  Ozai might be as power-mad as ever a Fire Lord was, but he would never have allowed…

 

But at the same time, what if he was wrong?  What if Zuko had somehow managed to hide his omega status, had gotten pregnant by his sister during a heat period, and had run because he didn’t think he would find support from his only remaining family member?  And… who else could a pregnant omega turn to?

 

The stigma against unbonded omegas with children, or against bonded omegas who had fled their alpha, was incredibly high.  If Zuko had left for that reason, if he was an omega bearing a child, bonded or not, he was going to have a rough time of it.

 

Iroh wanted nothing more than to go out and find Zuko himself, because no one knew his nephew like he did, but he couldn’t just leave the Fire Nation floundering.  It was still reeling from the transitions of power that had plagued it over the past few months, and he was still trying to dismantle the empire that Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai had worked so hard to build.  Duty bound him here.

 

But duty also demanded he go.  If his nephew was an omega, out there alone…

 

“We’ll find him for you.”

 

Iroh started at the familiar voice.  He found a smile, small and shaky, for the Avatar and his friends, who had just arrived at the palace.  “You don’t know that’s why I contacted you,” Iroh said.  “I might have wanted you to take over running the Fire Nation while I go out and find him myself.”

 

Aang just stared at him blankly, then let out an uproarious laugh.  “No, no, you wouldn’t do that,” he said through his giggles.

 

For all his power, the Avatar was still a child, and he was right.  Iroh would never leave him to deal with the backbiting politics that came with attempting to bring the Fire Nation back under some semblance of control.

 

“You’re right,” he said with a sigh.  “Just… try to find him quickly, yes?”

 

Aang smiled brightly at him.  “Don’t worry,” the young man said.  “We won’t rest until we find him, right?”

 

His friends echoed him, exclaiming right with determination and good cheer, although Iroh couldn’t help but notice the way that the young waterbender, Katara, didn’t quite look up as she chimed in with the rest of the group.

 

He wondered if she knew what had happened, if she had the answers he so desperately needed, but then an aide came running with a very not-metaphorical fire he needed to put out, and by the time he’d handled the issue, the Avatar and his friends had left.

 

The only thing that Iroh could do now was hope that they found Zuko, and brought him home.

 

Because if he was an omega, if he’d hidden it from Iroh, and if he was pregnant, then yes.  Iroh would do his duty as the oldest alpha of the family, and take Zuko for his own.  If that was what Zuko wanted, Iroh would do that for him.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Katara stared into the fire that Aang had made, her eyes watering from staring so long into it.  She just… she couldn’t look away.  The guilt inside of her felt like it was going to swallow her whole.  He’d come to her, he’d asked her for her help, and she’d… she’d spit in his face, practically.  There was no excuse for the things she’d said to Zuko, what she’d accused him of.

 

She shook her head, drew her knees in close, and buried her head in her arms.  Her shoulders were shaking, she knew, because she was crying.  Everyone else was asleep, and Katara was glad of it.  She couldn’t bear it if someone were to ask her what was wrong, because she didn’t deserve to cry.  To be comforted.  Not for what she’d done.

 

And then Toph settled next to her.  “You’re loud enough that I can’t sleep,” the blind girl complained.  “What’s got you so upset?”

 

Katara scrubbed at her tears, even though she knew that Toph couldn’t see them.  “It’s nothing,” she said, her voice coming out choked.  There was no way that Toph would miss it, but she hoped that Toph could be kind enough to let it go.  To just go away and leave Katara alone.

 

“Yeah,” Toph said, drawing the word out.  “I don’t believe you.  Does it have something to do with that fight you had with Zuko when he first joined us, the one that you thought none of us heard but I kinda maybe did?”

 

Katara’s heart stopped.  “You heard?” she echoed numbly, her lips barely moving.  “You heard what I said to him?”

 

Toph had heard her call him a rapist?  Toph had heard her accuse Zuko of taking some poor omega in the middle of their heat and getting them pregnant, then trying to erase the evidence?  Toph had heard that?

 

“I mean, I have really good hearing.”  Toph went quiet after that for what felt like forever.  Then, quietly, she said, “You were really mean to him that day.  And you didn’t hear it, you couldn’t have, but he cried after you left his room.  He sounded… broken.”

 

Katara’s heart, already cracking, felt like it shattered in that moment.  “You didn’t tell me?” she asked, her voice broken.  She was crying again, she knew she was.

 

“I didn’t think you’d listen,” Toph said.  “Not then, not when you still hated him.  And I knew that Zuko wanted to pretend like the conversation hadn’t happened, because I went and asked him.”

 

Katara let out a shaky, tear-sodden sigh and wiped ineffectively at her eyes.  “I was so awful to him,” she whispered.  “And now it turns out that he was probably… that he just wanted…  and I accused him—”  She cut herself off.  She couldn't make herself say anything more.

 

What kind of monster was she?  She hadn’t even stopped to hear the other side of the story, hadn’t considered that there might be one.  And now… now Zuko was alone in the world, probably pregnant, and she’d… she’d been the one to turn him away when he’d tried to ask for help.

 

“We’ll find him.”  Aang’s voice, quiet and certain, startled Katara.  

 

She hadn’t realized that he’d woken up, and she looked up at him with broken eyes.  He should hate her for this.  The mistake she’d made…  “Aang,” she started, her voice shaking.

 

Aang just smiled and sat down next to her.  He leaned against her, staring into the flames.  “You weren’t exactly rational with Zuko when he first got here,” he said quietly.  “And you accused him of something terrible, yes, but I’m betting that you’re already beating yourself up enough over it.  I’m not… it’s not my place to be angry with you, or to forgive you, but I still like you a lot, Katara.”

 

Katara let out a shuddering sigh and leaned against Aang in return.  “I appreciate that,” she whispered.  She let her eyes close, her tears stopping slowly.  “And I’m going to make it up to him, somehow.  I just…  I want you to understand.  I don’t know how, but I’m going to fix this.”

 

Aang smiled up at her, the expression bright and vibrant in the dark of the night.  “I know,” he said simply, his faith, as always, unshaken.

 

Katara was pretty sure that she loved the boy in front of her, but she knew that she had a lot of work to do to be even remotely as good a person as he was.  And that work would start with Zuko, and trying to fix the problem that she’d caused.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko hadn’t anticipated just how difficult it would be for him to make his way in the world once he began to show, which happened far sooner than he’d expected.  He’d thought that it would take a few more months, at least, but…

 

He didn’t have that kind of luck.  He should have known better than to think that he did.  Now, with a gently rounding belly and no alpha in sight, he had to avoid most towns.  Small towns were particularly prejudiced against unbonded, pregnant omegas.  He’d found that out in the last two that he’d visited, and had only just barely escaped without being detained by an alpha eager to teach him a lesson.

 

“At least I don’t have to deal with heats right now,” he muttered.  His ostrich horse’s ears quirked back in his general direction.  “Because I doubt I’d be able to get ahold of suppressants, and if I didn’t have them… Can you imagine what a nightmare it would be?” he asked quietly.  “I’d never be able to make it.  I’d be incapacitated in the middle of the woods and an alpha would find me and…”

 

Zuko stopped talking.  He didn’t want to think about it.  The time that he’d spent alone, after losing his ship and leaving Uncle Iroh behind, had been difficult enough, and he’d had suppressants then.  Even the time when he’d been with Uncle Iroh… he still didn’t know how he’d managed to keep his shameful secret.  He’d thought for sure that he’d be found out, but somehow…

 

It didn’t matter.  “Where should we head next?” he asked the ostrich horse.  They were at a clearing in the woods, not following any particular path, not heading in any particular direction.  Just… going.  Somewhere.  In the hopes of maybe finding someplace to rest, to give birth where he wouldn't be judged.  And then… and then he’d figure things out from there.

 

He had time, he knew.  He wasn’t in imminent danger of giving birth, not if his math was right.  His heat had been… what, five months ago?  That seemed about right.  And pregnancy last for at least a few months beyond that, right?

 

The ostrich horse didn’t answer him, she never did.  Instead, she started to graze when he didn’t try to push her in any one direction.  Zuko glanced up at the sun, which was slowly descending to the horizon, painting the land in a beautiful, golden shade.  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said tiredly.  And they were close enough to the river that water wasn’t going to be a problem, so…

 

“Camping it is,” he muttered.

 

He slid off of her back and tied her to the tree, then started the process of building a fire.  It was starting to get cold, and it wasn’t like he had a tent or anything to set up.  Setting up camp didn’t take long at all, and soon he was settled in front of the fire, wrapped in his bedroll, watching as a fish slowly roasted over the open flame.  The ostrich horse was settled, and the sun had fully set.

 

And then there was a small concussive sound that he recognized, and a wave of wind, like something massive, furry, and six-legged had just landed behind him.  Zuko froze.  If he didn’t turn around, he wouldn’t know for sure.  As long as he watched the fire, he would be wrong about who had just appeared behind him.

 

A throat cleared behind him, and Zuko knew that he wasn’t wrong.  Katara was behind him, and he didn’t know why she was the one who was approaching him instead of Aang, but he didn’t appreciate it.

 

“Go away,” he bit out.  He’d gone to her for help, and she’d…  Well.  That didn’t matter.  She was right.  He was scum, and didn’t deserve her help anyway.

 

“I really can’t do that,” Katara whispered.  “Can I sit?”

 

It wasn’t like Zuko could stop her, not without actually hurting her, and that was something he wasn’t willing to do.  Besides, a real fight, in his condition?  “Go for it,” he said.  He didn’t look at her when she settled behind him, just continued to stare into the fire.  He wasn’t sure what to say, anyway.

 

Katara stared at the fire with him in silence for what felt like a small eternity.  Then, quietly, she said, “I’m sorry.”

 

Zuko thought that maybe he hadn’t heard her right.  “What?”  He looked at her, finally, and found that she looked terrible.  Her face was drawn and pale, her eyes red and smudged underneath, like she hadn’t been sleeping well for a long time.

 

She looked back at him and tried a smile.  It looked more like a grimace than anything else.  “I’m sorry,” she repeated.  “For what I did.  Or didn’t do, as the case may be.  For jumping to conclusions, for believing the worst of you and never questioning my opinions.  For not helping you when you needed it most.”  She was staring down at his stomach, now, and her brow was furrowed.  To Zuko’s horror, she was blinking back what had to be tears.

 

“It’s fine,” he said dismissively.  He should have known better than to go someone for help, anyway.  He was disgusting, and bearing Azula’s children was just…  They could never be disgusting, his children, they would never be dirty, but he was forever ruined by what she’d done to him.  What his father had allowed her to do.  And he should have known better than to try and erase the evidence of it.

 

“It’s not fine,” Katara snapped.  And then she drew in a deep breath.  “I should have been there when you needed me, as a healer if nothing else, and I wasn’t, and I’m sorry for that.”

 

Zuko looked away from her.  He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything at all.  He just went back to staring into the fire.  Eventually, they were joined at the fire by Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Aang.  The camp was quiet, and nobody spoke to him.  It was like they were trying not to pressure him or something, which didn’t really make much sense.

 

Still, when the fish was finished, he offered it up to them, because it was all that he’d cooked and he wouldn't be a bad host on top of being the filthy thing that he was.  And when none of them accepted, he wondered if they thought the food was tainted by his touch.

 

The thought hurt more than he’d expected.  He closed his eyes against the pain of it.

 

And then, in the morning, when they fed him and helped pack his things away and didn’t make him do anything at all, Zuko was mostly confused, because maybe they didn’t think there was something wrong with him after all.  He didn’t know what was happening.  At least, not until Aang offered to help him onto Appa.

 

“I’m not going with you,” Zuko said blankly.

 

“You really are,” Aang said, quiet but determined.  “Your uncle needs to see you.  And, Zuko, I think we would all feel better if, even if you won’t go see him, you at least came with us until…”  His eyes darted down to Zuko’s stomach, slightly more convex than could be explained away by too much food, and back up.

 

Zuko let out a shuddering sigh and looked down.  “Yeah, okay,” he muttered.  He supposed it was better to get it over with, to know how much Uncle Iroh hated him sooner rather than later.  And… and at least if he was with Katara, he’d be with a competent healer when the time came for him to give birth.  “Let’s go see Uncle Iroh.”

 

That had been one thing he hadn’t been looking forward to figuring out, what he would do when he was on his own and the time came to give birth.  At least now he wouldn’t have to figure out how to handle that…

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh had just finished his work for the day when the Avatar arrived in the courtyard of the palace, his flying bison creating only a minimal amount of chaos since they’d been hoping for him to return for weeks now.  Iroh just hoped that the news was good, and stayed in his office rather than darting out to find out what they’d found.

 

It wouldn’t do for the acting Fire Lord to be seen running for news, after all.

 

Aang came straight to his office, and smiled at him.  The expression, though, lacked Aang’s normal exuberance.  “We found him,” he said, without hesitation.  “Katara is walking with him to… wherever it is that he’ll want to meet with you; we didn’t really talk about that.”

 

That was fine.  Iroh was almost certain he knew where his nephew would choose to go.  “And?” he asked.  Because if nothing was wrong, if they’d been wrong about why Zuko had run, Zuko would probably be in the room with Aang.  Or wouldn’t have come back at all.

 

“And he’s an omega,” Aang said simply.  “And pregnant, and I thought I should break the news to you before you saw him in person.”

 

Iroh appreciated the consideration, because he knew that the incandescent rage that flared within him had to be visible on his face, and he didn’t want Zuko to see it and think that he was angry with him.  Azula had… and Iroh could only assume that Ozai had allowed…

 

The thought was a terrible one, and suddenly Iroh wondered if imprisonment was really the best option for the both of them.  Surely, surely there was something more he could do to them for what they’d done to Zuko?

 

He would have to worry about it later.  With some effort, more than he cared to admit, Iroh shoved his rage aside and focused on Zuko, and what his nephew would need in this time.  He would need an alpha, a steadying influence, someone who could take care of him.  Who would cherish him.  And because he’d asked Iroh…

 

_ If you knew that Azula had sired a child, what would you do? _

 

There was only one option available.  He would do his duty as an alpha, and take care of his new omega.  If he was right, and that was what Zuko wanted.

 

He stood.  “Thank you, Aang,” he said quietly.  “I’m going to go speak with Zuko now, and we’ll see what happens.”

 

Aang hesitated.  “If he doesn’t want you,” the Avatar started, his cheeks pinking ever so slightly.  “I know that I’m young, but Katara and I are both alphas, and we talked about it, and—”

 

Iroh was not offended by the offer.  Aang and Katara were good people, and he would trust Zuko with them if that was what Zuko wanted.  “I’ll make sure that he knows he has that option,” he said quietly.  “Thank you.”

 

Somehow, he didn’t think that was the option that Zuko would take.

 

He found Zuko in the garden, exactly where he’d thought he would.  His nephew was sitting on a bench, staring at the pond he’d once spent hours staring into as a child.  He was thin, too thin, and his stomach was just slightly too round to be anything but pregnancy.  And Iroh was heartbroken to see the uncertain, frightened look on his nephew’s face.

 

He didn’t sit next to Zuko on the bench, but rather knelt in front of him, blocking his view of the water.  “Hello, Zuko,” he said, his voice as careful as it had ever been.  

 

Zuko didn’t meet his eyes.  “Uncle Iroh,” he said.  His voice wavered as he said it.  

 

“You didn’t tell me that the hypothetical omega in the scenario was you,” Iroh said softly.  He reached out and gathered Zuko’s hands in his own, keeping his touch soft.  Zuko still jumped when he was touched.  “That would have changed my answer, you know.”

 

Zuko swallowed.  “Would it have?” he asked, his voice almost breaking.  “I don’t… Uncle Iroh, I know that I’m wrong, that I’m disgusting and filthy and… and I never should have… But I—”

 

Iroh’s heart shattered.  He wanted nothing more than to tug Zuko to the ground with him, to fold him into an embrace and squeeze, but he couldn't do that.  Not with Zuko being pregnant, and not given what had happened to put him in that condition, because there was no way that Iroh could see it being consensual.  Zuko had been raped, and he didn’t even seem to understand it that way.

 

Instead, he squeezed Zuko’s hands tightly.  “You’re not wrong, you’re not disgusting, and you’re not filthy.  And nothing that happened to you was your fault.”  Iroh spoke as firmly as he could, and squeezed Zuko’s hands with every word that he spoke.  “You’re my nephew, and I love you, and it would be my honor to accept you as my omega, if that’s what you want.”

 

A sob escaped Zuko, and he looked just as surprised as Iroh was.  “Really?” Zuko managed to choke out around the tears that were clogging his throat.

 

“Really,” Iroh whispered.  He shifted up so that he could fold Zuko into a careful embrace, his touch gentle, but firm.  “If you want me, then I will gladly keep you as my omega, and cherish and protect you, and provide for you in every way.”

 

It was on the tip of his tongue to give Zuko Aang’s offer as well, because he didn’t want Zuko to think that he was entirely without options, when his nephew blurted out, “I want that very much!” and buried his face in Iroh’s neck, and began to truly cry, his body shaking with the force of his sobs.

 

Iroh chose to hold him close, to soothe him, and promised himself that he would tell him of Aang’s offer before they finalized anything at all.  But for now, he kept Zuko wrapped in his arms and murmured soft, soothing things to him, and hoped that he could help his nephew weather this storm intact.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Zuko had never anticipated that Uncle Iroh would ever say yes, would volunteer…  because those were very much not the same things.

 

But he had volunteered, and his arms were as warm and safe a place as Zuko remembered, and he couldn’t stop crying, and he didn’t even know why.  “I’m sorry,” he choked out, his face buried in Iroh’s soft robe.  “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

 

“Because you’ve come home after a long journey,” Iroh murmured in his ear.  “And you’ve been under so much stress, worrying about being an unbonded mother, that it’s no surprise you’re having some trouble finding an even keel, emotionally.”

 

Mother.  No one had ever said that word to him, not out loud.  It felt so very strange to hear it spoken in Iroh’s voice.  He focused on the strange feeling, and less on the tears running down his cheeks, and it helped.  The tears gradually slowed, leaving Zuko slightly out of breath, his face hot and sore, but feeling more at peace than he had in an eternity.

 

“You really don’t mind doing this?” he asked, as soon as his tears had finally stopped completely.  “I don’t want you to do it if you don’t want to.”  If he didn’t want Zuko.  Because this, if they did it, it would have to be public.  It would need to be, because of Iroh’s position.  And Iroh wouldn’t be able to give up that position, not to Zuko, because an omega wasn’t allowed to be the Fire Lord.

 

Not that Zuko wanted to do it anyway.

 

And if it was public, everyone would know that Azula had… that she’d… that he’d…  He shuddered away from the very idea of it.

 

Iroh’s arms had tightened around him.  “Let me be clear with you,” he said, the words sounding almost threatening in their intensity.  “I would not have hesitated to accept you if you had told me, from the beginning, that you were talking about yourself rather than some hypothetical stranger.  You are my nephew, and I love you very much, and it will be my honor to take care of you in this.”

 

Zuko flushed, shame heating his cheeks.  “I tried to make myself tell you,” he said, the words tumbling from his lips.  “I just… I couldn't.  I didn’t want you to know how dirty I am.”  He hid his face in Iroh’s robe once more.

 

Iroh’s arms spasmed again, tightening painfully before they loosened.  “You aren’t dirty,” he said.  “Zuko…”  He stopped, then shook his head.  “You aren’t dirty,” he repeated.

 

Zuko froze when Iroh’s lips brushed against his forehead.  The touch was so gentle, so tender, so unexpected that it almost hurt.

 

“You should know that I’m not your only option,” Iroh said into the silence.  “Katara and Aang have also volunteered to keep you, if that is your preference.”

 

“No!”  The word exploded from him before he could think about it, and he brought his hands up to clench in Iroh’s robes.  He remembered Katara’s cruelty, and while he didn’t hate her for it, and could definitely understand it, he couldn’t… no.  And… besides…  “I want you,” he whispered, tightening his grip on Iroh’s robes.

 

For so long, Iroh had been the only alpha he’d known, the only person who was truly kind to him.  Was it any surprise he’d grown fixated on his uncle?

 

“Oh.”

 

That one word, the flatness of it, it hurt.  But Zuko had expected it.  He knew that wanting his uncle to be his alpha was very different from settling for him after… after Azula… after she’d…  And it wasn’t like it was taboo, what they were going to do.  Maybe.  If Iroh was still willing.  But it wasn’t exactly normal, either.

 

He pulled away, out of Iroh’s embrace.  He stood up and turned away, and walked a few steps, putting a physical distance between himself and Iroh.  He should have known better than to admit to what he’d just said out loud, because it changed everything.  “If it makes you uncomfortable,” he started, his voice halting.  He wrapped his arms around himself.  “If you would rather I go with Aang and Katara—”

 

“I didn’t say that,” Iroh said.  His voice came from just behind Zuko, so Zuko was unsurprised when his Uncle’s hands landed on his shoulders.  “I never knew you were an omega, you know that,” Iroh murmured.  “And I confess that it’s still something of a shock, but it’s one that I’m adjusting to.”  Those hands on Zuko’s shoulders, strong and steady, rubbed carefully, soothing him.  “I can’t say that I ever thought about you in that context, but I swear that I’ll take care of you if that’s your wish.”

 

Zuko let out a shuddering sigh and forced himself to relax.  It was enough.  It would have to be enough, because he would never have anything more.  He nodded.  “That’s what I want,” he said, his voice choked.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

It was Iroh’s sincerest hope, in the first moments after Zuko’s confession, that he could hide the turmoil in his heart from his new omega.  Because Zuko didn’t need to see how startled he was by his confession, how uncertain he was of the right way to proceed.

 

Zuko wanted him.  His nephew…  It was one thing to become a younger omega relative’s alpha in the event of a catastrophe, but it was another entirely to bond with him or her for romantic reasons.  That Zuko had been through one such catastrophe only served to complicate matters further.

 

But Zuko didn’t need to worry about any of that.  Iroh refused to place that on his shoulders.  He would wrestle with his own conscience later, once he’d helped Zuko settle back into being at home.  And, the first thing that would help with that would also help him feel better about being Iroh’s omega as well.

 

Iroh didn’t release his hold on Zuko’s shoulders, but rather used it to turn his nephew in the direction of their private rooms.  “Why don’t we go and get you a bath?” he asked, his voice kind and gentle.  “We can wash away all the grime from your travels.”  And then he hid a wince, because he didn’t want Zuko to think that he thought he was dirty.

 

But Zuko didn’t seem inclined to take it that way.  “I haven’t had a bath in weeks,” he said with an exhausted little sigh.  His shoulders slumped, more genuinely than the artificial relaxation he’d tried to pass off to Iroh as real, and Iroh couldn’t help but smile.

 

He escorted Zuko to their personal room.  To his, but now it would be theirs, and that would also require something of an adjustment.  For all that he’d lived with Zuko while on the road, it hadn’t quite been the same thing.  But it was okay.  He would figure out how to make this work.  He wouldn’t let Zuko suffer while he tried to figure out whether or not he could handle this.

 

He had a bath drawn, and then heated it carefully with firebending.  It had to be warm, but not too warm.  Too much heat wouldn’t be good for the baby Zuko carried inside of him.  And then he went out into the bedroom to fetch Zuko, who was sitting on the bed awkwardly, glancing around the room.  He was sitting on his hands, like he was trying to keep himself from giving in to the temptation to touch anything.

 

That was something that would have to be addressed, but later.  Once Zuko was more relaxed, because Iroh had never seen his nephew so tense, and that was saying something.  “Come,” he said quietly.  He pulled Zuko to his feet with gentle hands.  “Let’s get you clean.”  He took a step back, drawing him towards the bathroom.

 

Zuko froze, his cheeks immediately flaring brightly.  “You’re going to come with me?” he squeaked out.

 

“That was my intention,” Iroh said mildly.  “I told you, I’m going to take care of you.”

 

It didn’t surprise him that Zuko didn’t understand what he’d asked for when he’d asked Iroh to become his alpha.  There were things that Ozai had never bothered to teach his children, and one of those things was proper care of an omega.  But Iroh had learned, because Azulon had believed the traditions of care to be important in spite of his general cruelty, and Iroh would make certain that Zuko was given all of the things he’d never had before and didn’t know he was missing.

 

In spite of how surreal all of this felt, Iroh would do his duty.

 

He began to help Zuko out of his clothes, but Zuko squirmed and flushed and did not actually allow him to help.  For a moment, and only a moment, Iroh considered pressing the issue, then stopped before he could do so.  “Would you rather be alone for this?” he asked, because it only just occurred to him that with the trauma Zuko was dealing with, he might need to be alone for this.

 

Zuko squirmed again, clearly uncomfortable, but shook his head.  Iroh wondered if, perhaps, the cause of his discomfort was something he hadn’t expected, but brushed the thought aside.  “Tell me if you change your mind,” he said simply, and helped Zuko out of the rest of his clothes.

 

He did not undress himself, because he really didn’t want to make Zuko more uncomfortable than he already was, but helped him into the bath anyway.  Then he gathered a cloth, soaped it, and began to help Zuko cleanse his body.

 

Zuko shivered under his touch for the entire time that Iroh had his hands on him.  His face gradually grew more flushed, his breathing quickened, and Iroh couldn’t be certain, but he didn’t think it was the heat of the bath that was causing either.

 

“Zuko,” Iroh murmured, when Zuko began to squirm in the water.  “Is something wrong?”

 

“N-no,” Zuko breathed out, his cheeks so red that they almost looked blistered.  “Nothing’s wrong.  I’m fine.  But I think I can finish the bath on my own.”

 

Iroh’s lips quirked.  “Is it because you think that I don’t want to find what I know you’re hiding?” he asked.  He’d been young once, and with Zuko saying that he’d wanted Iroh, he was almost positive that he knew what was going on.

 

If it was because he was afraid of what he was feeling, that was one thing.  If he was ashamed, that was another.  And if either were related to what Azula had done to him… well, that would be something else as well.  

 

“You… you’re just doing your duty,” Zuko said, his voice shaking.  “And there’s nothing that you need to do right now.  I don’t… I wouldn’t want…”  He swallowed and sunk further below the water.  He still didn’t tell Iroh to go.

 

Iroh hesitated, then brushed the cloth over Zuko’s heated skin once more.  “If you want me to leave, then I will.  But don’t tell me to go because of this, not if you’re not uncomfortable,” he murmured.  Then he brushed the cloth over Zuko’s skin again, this time rubbing against one hardened nipple.

 

Zuko twitched in the bath and let out a shuddering noise, something between a sigh and a moan.  “You don’t want me,” Zuko whispered.  “I’m… I’m dirty.”

 

Iroh felt an emotion that was almost entirely foreign to him, a killing rage the likes of which he’d almost never felt before.  “You are not dirty,” he said firmly.  “There’s nothing wrong with being an omega, and what happened to you, what Azula did to you, wasn’t your fault.  At all.”

 

Zuko shivered in the water, and Iroh checked the temperature.  It was still perfectly warm, so it must be a shiver of another kind.  “I don’t want to talk about what Azula did,” Zuko whispered, his voice hoarse.

 

“Then we don’t have to,” Iroh responded.  He didn’t move the cloth over Zuko’s skin again.  Instead, he gently stroked a damp hand through Zuko’s hair.  “What do you need from me?” he asked gently.

 

Zuko shifted so that he could look up at him, and Iroh was shocked to see how vulnerable his nephew’s eyes were.  They were open, and needy, and Iroh knew that whatever he was going to ask for, Iroh was going to give.

 

“Touch me?” Zuko asked, his voice shaking.

 

Iroh sighed, because he’d thought that might be it.  He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of Zuko’s mouth, not quite able to bring himself to kiss him fully, then let the cloth fall into the water.  “If you’d like,” he murmured, and reached into the water.

 

He found Zuko’s hardness waiting for him, silky skin covering a rock hard length.  It was slender, and, compared to an alpha’s, relatively small, but was the perfect size for an omega’s cock.  Iroh stroked it gently, and was rewarded with a shuddering cry from Zuko, and hips bucking into his hand.  It was the work of minutes to bring Zuko to orgasm, leaving his nephew a trembling, gasping mess in the water.

 

Iroh stroked a gentle hand over his skin, soft and slow, and dragged the cloth out of the water.  He finished cleaning Zuko while he recovered, then helped him out of the bath.  Zuko’s legs were shaky, his eyes vacant, like he was in shock.

 

“Zuko?” he asked, his voice gentle and careful.  Had it been too much for him, too soon?

 

“I never…”  Zuko swallowed.  He stared at Iroh, his eyes still so very confused.  “I’ve never…”  He swallowed.

 

Iroh closed his eyes, drew in a deep breath, then pulled Zuko into his arms, heedless of his wet nudity.  “I’m sorry if it frightened you,” he murmured.  Because it had never occurred to him that Zuko would never have…

 

But then, he supposed it made sense.  When would he have had the time?

 

“It didn’t,” Zuko said, a bit defensively. 

 

There was a bit of a lie to his voice, but Iroh let him get away with it.  Instead of commenting, he engulfed Zuko in a warm, fluffy towel and dried him off, then helped him into a loose night shirt, one of his spares.  It dwarfed him in folds of soft, comfortable fabric, that Iroh knew smelled like him.

 

Zuko inhaled, his eyes fluttering closed, a small smile appearing on his face.  “This is nice,” he said, a bit shyly.  He ducked his head, that small smile still there.  “Thank you, Uncle.”

 

Iroh winced.  “Please,” he started, and then stopped.  He didn’t want to take anything from Zuko that brought him comfort, even if he would rather Zuko call him by his name, now.  They wouldn’t legally be uncle and nephew for much longer, after all, not once they’d bonded.

 

Zuko looked up, the smile fading from his face.  His expression darkened, and he dropped his eyes again.  “You don’t want me to call you that anymore,” he whispered.

 

Iroh smiled, tried to keep the expression gentle for all that Zuko didn’t seem to be looking.  “It’s fine,” he said quietly.  He helped Zuko out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom.  “Do you want to lie down a bit before dinner?  You must be exhausted.”

 

Zuko didn’t protest.  “Yeah,” he said quietly.  He crawled into the bed without objection, and didn’t complain when Iroh all but tucked him under the covers.

 

And he didn’t ask Iroh to stay when he headed for the door, and Iroh wondered why that caused a pang in his heart.  But he refused to dwell on it.  He had to arrange for dinner to be served in their room, because he didn’t want to overwhelm Zuko with a court dinner.  Not now.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko very deliberately did not cry when Iroh left him alone in their room.  His room?  Their room, Zuko supposed, if they were going to bond.  But… he wasn’t sure that they were going to.  He’d thought he could handle it if he was just a duty to his uncle, but…

 

But this was breaking his heart, even more than the things that Azula had done to him.

 

Maybe it would be better if he just… just took Aang up on his offer, or told his uncle that he was going to, and then just… disappeared again.  Because Uncle Iroh was clearly unhappy with everything, for all that he’d… that he’d…

 

And it hurt so much that he’d done that, because for a moment, for one glorious moment, he’d thought…  Because Iroh’s lips had been soft against his, just barely on the corner of his mouth, but close enough that Zuko could taste him, literally, and he’d wanted it so much, had wanted to be kissed, had wanted to be touched, but…

 

He curled in on himself, and did not sleep.  He was tired, yes, but it wasn’t a physical kind of tired.  It was an emotional kind of tired, and he didn’t know what to do about it.  He wanted… he knew what he wanted, he wanted for Uncle Iroh to be happy with him, to want him the way he wanted him, to… to love him, the way that Zuko thought he loved him.

 

And that wasn’t going to happen.  So what should he do?  Should he stay, and keep hoping for something that wouldn’t happen, or should he go?  Again?  Should he walk away, because putting Uncle Iroh through this was cruel of him?

 

He didn’t know what he was going to do.

 

But when he heard the door open, Zuko found himself saying, “Maybe I should go with Katara and Aang,” even though he knew that he didn’t want to go.

 

There was a moment of silence.  The light didn’t come on, and eventually Zuko felt the bed dip behind him.  Uncle’s arms wrapped around him, pulling back to rest against his solid body.  He’d never quite lost the conditioning he’d put himself through in order to break out of prison, and Zuko found that he missed the layer of padding that he was familiar with on Uncle’s stomach.

 

“You don’t want that,” Iroh said, his voice calm and certain.

 

Zuko didn’t know what was so very comforting about the hold, but it soothed and settled him in a way that he couldn’t begin to explain.  “I don’t want… you don’t want…”  He stopped, frustrated.  He had trouble with words at the best of times, having never been as eloquent as his uncle, but this was just… painful.

 

“I told you,” Iroh murmured into his ear.  “I’m working on adjusting to this.  It’s going to take time, Zuko.”

 

In the dark, it was easy to say, “But what if you adjust into hating me?”  Zuko hated the way his voice sounded when he said it, vulnerable and frightened, but that was how he felt.

 

“I will never hate you,” Iroh said.  His voice was so solid, so certain, that Zuko couldn’t help but believe him.

 

“But you’ll never want me like I want you,” Zuko breathed.  Because that was part of it, too.  He didn’t want to be a duty, a burden.  He wanted… he wanted to be cherished.  And Iroh’s touch, when they’d been in the bath, for a brief moment Zuko had thought that he might get what he wanted.  That Iroh would…  that he was…

 

Of course, he’d hidden what he was for so long with his suppressants, and he’d hidden away any traditional omega desires like the one to be cherished, and… Why would any alpha want to cherish a filthy, used omega like him anyway?

 

Iroh sighed, the sound heavy and deep.  “Don’t say that,” he said.  He pressed a gentle kiss to Zuko’s cheek, and then tugged on Zuko, forcing him to roll over and face him.  “Don’t say that I’ll never want you.”  He brushed Zuko’s hair from his face, then made a gesture and a handful of candles flared to life around them, giving the room a dim light.

 

“But you don’t,” Zuko said, confused.  “You couldn’t.  Because I’m…”  He stopped.  Iroh had told him not to call himself dirty, even though he was.

 

His Uncle stroked a gentle hand along his cheek, staring at him consideringly for what felt like an eternity.  Then, slowly, moving so that Zuko could pull back if he so chose, he leaned in and took Zuko’s lips in a soft, gentle kiss.

 

Zuko shivered into it, his eyes fluttering closed at the contact.  Uncle’s lips were still soft, still gentle, but were lightly chapped.  He tasted sweet, like the tea he loved so much.  Zuko didn’t want to know what he tasted like, but he couldn’t imagine it was anything flattering.

 

Still.  The kiss was nice, and Iroh didn’t pull away from him with a noise of disgust or anything like that.  It was gentle and warm, and when Uncle drew back, he kept his hand on Zuko’s cheek, and stroked over it gently with his thumb.

 

“I think that I could learn to love you in that way,” Iroh said quietly, softly, like he was confessing to something almost shameful.  “Because you’re beautiful, and you’re sweet, and I already feel such rage at the idea of anyone hurting you ever again.  I think it would be easy to learn to love you, Zuko.”

 

Zuko closed his eyes against the tears that sprang to them.  He refused to cry twice in one day.  “You really think so?” he asked, his voice only slightly hoarse.

 

“I really do,” Iroh confirmed.  He pulled Zuko closer, wrapped himself around him, and Zuko had never felt safer in that moment than he did with Iroh holding him close.  “I really do think that I could love you.”

 

Zuko’s eyes closed, and with Uncle’s arms tightly around him, he let his eyes fall closed.  This time, he slept.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh had arranged for dinner, only to return to his room to find Zuko a miserable ball of stress and angst.  To be fair, that wasn’t exactly an abnormal state to find Zuko in.  But, knowing that he was an omega, it made every protective instinct within Iroh flare.

 

Omegas should never be in the state he’d found Zuko in when he’d returned to his room.  So he’d crawled into bed with him, had held him close, and had fought the urge to simply reassure him that everything was okay.  Zuko deserved an honest answer for his very real concerns, and Iroh had never been the kind of man to dismiss an omega’s feelings as invalid.

 

So he thought about it, he really did.  He kissed Zuko, and considered what kind of future the two of them could have together.  Could he grow to love his nephew in the way that Zuko clearly loved him?  It was a strange thought, to be honest, but was it a thought that he could handle?  Or… or should he let Zuko go now, so that Zuko could begin to move on?

 

But where could he go, that he would be with someone who could handle the as yet unearthed demons of what Azula had done to him?  Because Iroh knew that they were there, lurking.  They reared their heads every time Zuko referred to himself as dirty.  And Aang, for all of his power and wisdom, was still a child.  As was Katara.  Neither of them were really equipped to handle what Zuko would be bringing to the table.

 

And there was a flare of possessiveness that stirred inside of him when he thought about letting Zuko go, something that he hadn’t expected.  Apparently, the alpha instincts he ignored most of the time were already thinking of Zuko as his.

 

So he told Zuko something that pained him to admit, because it felt wrong.  It felt shameful, to admit that he could learn to love Zuko in the way that Zuko loved him.  It felt like there was something wrong with him, even though he knew that it had been done before.  Older alpha relatives of vulnerable younger omegas had been taking them to mate for centuries, had loved them and cherished them and been full mates to them.

 

What was happening between himself and Zuko wasn’t anything taboo, wasn’t anything wrong.  And he would do well to acknowledge that, before his fears made Zuko even more uneasy than they already had.

 

He held Zuko as he slept, and resolved that, when Zuko woke up, he would do better.  Zuko didn’t need his insecurities on top of the pregnancy.

 

Perhaps… perhaps the solution would be to make it impossible for Zuko to doubt him anymore.  Yes, that seemed like the best option, making it publicly official.  Surely that would help alleviate some of Zuko’s insecurities, although Iroh had no doubt that the event itself would be stressful for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates won't stay this fast; I just happened to have this chapter written before I ever got brave enough to post this, even on anon.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Mai had never been more grateful for Ty Lee’s friendship than when she’d woken up in the morning to find another note from Zuko, another apology telling her that there was no way he could stay with her, and no way he could explain what was wrong.  She’d been both furious and broken hearted, and when she’d written to Ty Lee, her friend had arrived in person rather than sending back a letter of response.

 

Ty Lee hadn’t left since, even though it had been a month and Mai was mostly over Zuko.  Or at least, she told herself she was mostly over Zuko, anyway.

 

“You don’t have to be over him that quickly,” Ty Lee told her.  “It’s okay to mourn because he’s a great big jerk.”

 

Mai smiled at her friend, the expression barely there.  But she was trying, because Ty Lee always did have some difficulty with her less than exuberant emotional state.  “I know,” she said.  “But I’d like to be.”

 

They were walking together in the general direction of the Fire Lord’s palace.  Everyone knew that, when Zuko left, he hadn’t told anyone where he was going.  As a result, Iroh had stepped up to lead the Fire Nation, even though everyone knew that he didn’t actually want the position.  Mai felt sorry for the old man, but it wasn’t like there was anyone else who could do it, not with both Ozai and Azula imprisoned.

 

The assembly had been announced late in the evening last night, and Mai had debated not going.  It was probably going to be further news of Zuko, or lack thereof, and she wasn’t sure she was interested in hearing where he’d gone, or whether he was still alive or not.

 

“Well, we don’t have to go, you know,” Ty Lee said, drawing her from her thoughts.  “We could just turn around and go back home.”

 

Mai realized that she’d slowed her steps.  She sighed and forced herself to speed back up, for all that they didn’t have far to go.  “No, I want to go,” she said, trying to convince herself of that.  If only to stay up to date on current events, she thought that she should go at least.

 

“If you insist,” Ty Lee said, doubt dripping from her every word.  But she slung an arm around Mai’s shoulder and tugged her in for a brief hug, before releasing her just before Mai would have shoved her away.

 

And then they reached the square, and Mai was suddenly incredibly glad that they’d decided to come, because there was a pillow beside the podium from which Iroh, or potentially Zuko, would be speaking.  A large, red pillow, trimmed in gold.  It hadn’t been seen since the disappearance of Ursa, Zuko’s mother and Ozai’s omega wife.

 

Zuko had taken an omega.  Or Iroh had, but Mai found that second thought to be ridiculous.  Iroh was far too old to take on a new omega.  Most wouldn’t want him, and omegas always had their choice of mate, since they were so rare.

 

“No wonder Zuko disappeared,” Ty Lee whispered, something like reverence in her voice.

 

Mai elbowed her sharply.  “He still should have told me,” she snapped.  Because yes, it made sense, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt to find out that she’d been pushed aside so easily for an omega.  She wondered where he’d found him or her, and whether or not they’d love him like she had.

 

And then the thoughts stopped in their tracks when Iroh came out, an arm around Zuko’s waist, which was more expanded than it should be.  Iroh still wore the robes of the Fire Lord, and the crown, and Zuko… he wore something infinitely softer, kinder, more forgiving.  Something eerily reminiscent of what his mother had worn when making public appearances.

 

“No way,” Ty Lee breathed beside her.

 

Mai could hardly even think.  But it was happening.  Iroh steered Zuko forward and pressed him down onto the pillow, and Zuko went willingly, kneeling in front of the assembled nobles of the Fire Nation.  He didn’t look up, just kept his eyes trained on the ground, and he was blushing furiously.  But he wasn’t protesting, and there was no way an alpha, or even a beta, would allow themselves to be treated like that.

 

Zuko was an omega.  A pregnant one, by the looks of it.

 

Why hadn’t he told her?  And when… when had it happened?  Had he… cheated on her?  That thought, it hurt more than any other.  She’d long since resigned herself to the idea of not having an omega of her own, but for the one omega she knew to have been with her, and then cheated on her?  That… hurt.

 

She barely heard the speech Iroh gave, about how he would be remaining as the Fire Lord, about how he would do an alpha’s duty and take care of his young omega nephew, about how Zuko was sorry for the deception he’d worked on the nobles for the short period he’d spent as Fire Lord.

 

She didn’t care about any of that.  She needed answers, and there was only one place she was getting them.  After the speech was over, after people began to disperse, the mutters loud and startled in the crowd, she stalked towards the palace.  Ty Lee was clever enough not to try and stop her, but instead cleared a path for her so that she didn’t have to deal with any idiots offering her condolences for losing a chance at an omega mate or anything stupid like that.

 

She was already going to have to deal with one idiot, and she needed to reserve her energy for him.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko rose, shaking, from the pillow Uncle had pressed him down on.  He hadn’t been prepared for how unnerving it would be to have all those eyes on him, but at the same time, he was glad they’d done it.  The secret was out.  He was officially Iroh’s now, and there was nothing he could do to take that away, not without permanently staining his honor.

 

“Are you okay?” Iroh asked.  He kept an arm around Zuko’s waist as he steered him in the general direction of the inside of the palace.

 

Zuko let himself lean on his uncle, a little hesitantly.  When he wasn’t rebuffed, he leaned a little more.  “I wasn’t expecting it to be so nerve wracking,” he said honestly.  “It was…”  Frightening was the word that sprang to his lips, but he couldn't bring himself to utter it.

 

What kind of coward was he, that he was frightened of being stared at by a bunch of nobles?

 

“I wanted to get it done as soon as possible,” Iroh said.  “I wanted you to understand that this is permanent, that you are going to be my omega as soon as we bond.  So that maybe you can feel a bit… safer in this relationship.”

 

It worked, of course.  Iroh was a master tactician, for all that he rarely used it against Zuko.  And, in this case, Zuko couldn’t exactly bring himself to be upset.  Not when it helped him, because he really had been afraid…

 

“Thanks,” he whispered, and ducked his head.  He’d been so very embarrassed while Iroh had been speaking of him, and was incredibly grateful that he hadn’t explained the circumstances behind his pregnancy.

 

Although Zuko wasn’t stupid.  He knew that the time was coming when those circumstances would have to be explained.  He didn’t want to necessarily be there when that discussion was happening.

 

Iroh hugged him gently.  “It wasn’t a problem,” he said.  

 

It seemed like everything he did for Zuko was gentle these days, and Zuko didn’t know how to handle that.  It wasn’t like he’d ever been particularly rough with him before, but now… now he treated Zuko like he was made of glass, and Zuko thought that maybe he should be protesting it, but…

 

It was nice.  And a part of him, a very large part, really enjoyed the gentle care that he’d never been given before.  That he never could have accepted if it had been offered, because there were things that alphas just didn’t allow.

 

“Oh dear,” Iroh murmured, and Zuko’s attention snapped back into focus.

 

Only to find himself facing Mai and Ty Lee.  Mai was staring at him stoically, her eyes hard and unwavering.  Ty Lee, on the other hand, was gaping at him, shock clear in her expression.  “We’d like to talk with Prince Zuko, if that’s okay,” Mai said, addressing Iroh.

 

At first, Zuko was offended.  He could think and speak for himself, and they should…

 

But no, that wasn’t quite right, was it?  Iroh was his alpha, now.  And Mai was an unbonded alpha, and Ty Lee was an unbonded beta, and he was an unbonded omega.  A vulnerable, pregnant omega at that.  They couldn’t talk to him without Iroh’s permission.

 

“I think that would be a wise decision,” Iroh said, nodding.  He gently nudged Zuko in Mai’s direction, then backed up a step and raised his hands.  His eyes, when Zuko met them, were twinkling.  “Just remember, ladies, that Zuko is a fragile omega, in a delicate state, and should not be—”

 

Zuko didn’t hesitate to fling a bit of fire in his uncle’s direction, which passed harmlessly overhead as Iroh dodged, just like Zuko had known he would.  “I am not delicate,” he snapped.

 

When Iroh just beamed at him, Zuko realized that he’d been played into admitting that he was fine, and now there was no way to back out of the conversation.  His shoulders sagged and he let out a small sigh.  He was a coward, and he’d taken the coward’s way out with Mai for the second time, and he supposed he deserved whatever tongue lashing, or even physical lashing, he was about to get.

 

“Let’s talk in the garden,” Mai suggested, although it didn’t sound like there was any room for argument or debate in her voice.

 

“Okay,” Zuko said, deciding to give in with grace.  He started off towards the garden, and they fell into step with him.

 

The walk there wasn’t nearly long enough, if Zuko was going to be honest.  He would have rathered it took forever, but it was the work of moments to reach it, and when they got there, Ty Lee and Mai both waited to see where he would settle.

 

Zuko considered the bench he’d waited for Uncle Iroh on, but that made him feel antsy and uncomfortable, so instead he settled at the base of the great tree, leaning back against the rough bark.  Mai studied him for a minute, then settled across from him, and Ty Lee folded herself down onto the ground as well.

 

“I’m sorry,” Zuko whispered, breaking the silence.  He looked down at the ground, unable to meet Mai’s gaze. She deserved so much better than what he’d given her, so much more than another note in the darkness.

 

“You should be,” Mai said evenly.  “Did you think that I’d be mad that you were an omega?”

 

Zuko shuddered.  He’d never… he still wasn’t…  it was on the tip of his tongue to deny that he was, because he was so used to claiming to be an alpha.  But now that it wasn’t an option to do that anymore, now that he was pregnant, now that Iroh had publicly claimed him…

 

“I never told anyone,” he whispered, his voice raw.  “I couldn’t.  You don’t… Father would have…”  Ozai had…

 

He closed his eyes and forced the memories of his heat back.  They didn’t matter.  They weren’t what was being discussed at the moment.  If he had his way, they never would be.

 

“I wasn’t just anyone,” Mai said evenly, and Zuko cursed her ability to conceal her emotions.  It was so hard to tell how angry she was with him.  Although, if he had to guess, he’d say she was furious.  “Zuko, I was your girlfriend.  I would have gladly bonded with you.”

 

Zuko forced himself to look up.  “Would you have?” he asked hoarsely.  “Because, Mai, you know that I’m… that I…”  He stopped.  That was getting perilously close to a direction he couldn’t go in.  Not now.  He redirected.  “Would you have wanted to be the Fire Lord?”

 

The expression of disgust on Mai’s face told him everything he needed to know.  “You know that I wouldn’t have,” she said.  But she scowled.  “I don’t think that’s why you didn’t tell me, though.”

 

Zuko looked down at his hands.  “No,” he agreed.  He wouldn’t lie to her.  As much as he didn’t want to talk about what had happened, about the cause of his pregnancy, if Mai asked… he felt like, if no one else, he owed her the truth.  Even if he would rather Ty Lee not be there for the conversation.

 

“Who was it?” she asked, her voice still painfully even.

 

It was only because he’d dated her for so long that Zuko could hear the pain in it.  “I don’t…”  He swallowed and glanced up at her.  “Can we…”  His eyes darted to Ty Lee, who listening quietly, but attentively.  “Maybe talk about this alone?” he suggested, weakly.

 

Mai’s eyes narrowed.  “Ty Lee’s been the one here to comfort me since you left.  I think she has the right to know who you cheated on me with, who you ran away with—”

 

“That’s not what happened!” Zuko snapped before he could stop himself.  He hunched in on himself, drawing his knees up and curling his arms around them.  He could still do that, but it wasn’t long before he wouldn’t be able to.  “I didn’t run away with anyone; I ran away alone.”

 

“Did you?”  Now Mai’s voice was cold, and he knew that she was angry with him.  She had every right to be.  “Tell me, Zuko, who was it that you let take you in your heat?  Who did you love more than—”

 

“It was Azula!” Zuko shouted, his temper snapping.  “And I didn’t let her do anything!”  And then his eyes widened, because he’d never meant to say that, never meant to shout it like that, and now it was out there and he couldn’t take it back, and oh, no, what was she going to think of him now?

 

He buried his head in his knees and hoped that he didn’t start crying, even though he could feel it coming.  He hated crying, and he was doing it enough that he didn’t think it was fair to blame it entirely on the pregnancy hormones.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Azula had raped him.

 

The thought echoed in her head, over and over again.  What could Mai say to that? “Zuko,” she started, and she made an effort to soften her voice.

 

Zuko still flinched at the sound of it, and Mai glanced helplessly at Ty Lee.  They’d officially entered a world in which she had no frame of reference.  She wasn’t a soft person, not by any means, and didn’t know how to talk to him.  What he’d admitted…

 

Of course, the way he’d left her still hurt, but… she could forgive a lot from him, and for this?  This she could forgive.  Of course he’d been terrified, and of course he’d run.  And of course, having been through what he’d obviously been through, he would want an alpha like Iroh, someone soft and kind and gentle.  Not someone abrasive and emotionally flat, like her.

 

“Zuko?”  That was Ty Lee, speaking as gently as Mai had ever heard her speak.  “Can I sit next to you?” she asked carefully.

 

Zuko didn’t look up, but he shrugged in response.

 

“Does that mean that you don’t mind, or you’re not sure?” she asked.  She didn’t move from her place.

 

“Don’t mind,” Zuko muttered, and Mai was horrified to hear that his voice was slightly choked, like he was trying to swallow back tears.

 

Ty Lee winced at the sound of it and glanced back at her, just as helplessly.  She still shifted to sit next to him, and asked, “Can I put an arm around you?”

 

Zuko shrugged again.

 

Ty Lee hesitated, then with a small shrug of her own, wrapped an arm around Zuko’s shoulders and pulled him to lean against her.  He went without complaint, and she hugged him tightly.  

 

Mai hesitated, then went to sit on his other side, not close enough to touch, but close enough that she knew he could feel her presence.  They sat in silence for what felt like forever, and Mai pretended not to hear Zuko’s hitching breaths, not to see the way that Ty Lee smoothed his hair back and not to hear the way that she murmured soothingly to him.

 

“I didn’t want her,” Zuko whispered.  He sounded surprised to admit it, and Mai wondered if it was the first time he’d said it to anyone.

 

“I can’t imagine that you did,” she said evenly.  She knew how much animosity there had been between the two siblings, and how much their father had encouraged it.  There was no way that Zuko would have allowed Azula to take him, not if he’d had any choice in the matter.

 

“I’d never had a heat before,” he whispered.  “I took…  I was on…”  He sighed and stopped.

 

Suppressants, Mai knew, were incredibly expensive, incredibly dangerous, and incredibly illegal.  But it was the only thing he could have been doing to keep his heats at bay.  

 

“She found them,” he whispered.  “And she…  She and Father, they…”  He stopped again, his voice shattering.  He let out a hitching sob and curled even closer to Ty Lee.  “I can’t—”

 

“You don’t have to,” Mai said quickly.  She glanced at Ty Lee and found her friend just as alarmed as she was.  “Zuko, it’s okay, you don’t have to tell us anything that you don’t want to.”

 

Zuko didn’t respond verbally, just let out another broken sob.

 

Mai hesitated, then mouthed at Ty Lee, “Should we go get Iroh?”

 

Ty Lee made a face at her that communicated a very clear, “I have no idea!”

 

And then the decision was taken from them when Iroh entered the garden, from where he’d probably been lurking by the entrance the entire time.  “Ladies,” he said softly, and Zuko jerked in Ty Lee’s arms, like he hadn’t realized Iroh had been present.

 

He probably hadn’t.  Mai certainly hadn’t seen him or sensed him in any way.

 

“I’d very much like some time alone with Zuko.  Since he seems a bit overwrought, perhaps returning on another day might be wise?”

 

Mai hesitated.  She glanced at Zuko, at the way he clung to Ty Lee, then looked back up at Iroh, a bit dubious.  “We can,” she said slowly.  She got to her feet and brushed the dirt from her clothes.

 

Ty Lee didn’t move.  She nodded at Zuko, still curled against her, and made a face at Iroh that clearly asked what she should do. 

 

Iroh smiled at her, then knelt beside Zuko.  He reached for the omega, and then, as Mai watched, Zuko reached back, switching immediately to sobbing in his uncle’s arms rather than Ty Lee’s.

 

Ty Lee stood, the shoulder of her shirt damp with tears.  “We’ll come back another time,” she said with quiet cheer, and backed up a few steps.  “But we’ll be back, Zuko, don’t worry about that.”

 

“We’re still friends,” Mai said, her voice very clear.  She didn’t want him to doubt that.  She wanted him to understand that what had happened to him wasn’t his fault, even she still wasn’t quite ready to forgive him for leaving her with just a note.

 

“Thanks,” Zuko whispered, his voice still choked and broken.  He said nothing more, and Mai turned on her heel and left, not willing to make him any more upset than he already was.  And she knew him well, and knew that he would be furious with himself for breaking down in front of them, even if there was no need for him to be.

 

It was understandable, given what he’d been through at Azula’s hands.  And speaking of…

 

“I think I’d like to go pay our mutual friend a visit,” she said, her voice frigid.

 

Ty Lee perked up beside her.  “Yeah?” she asked.  “We could do that.”

 

Mai smiled, the expression almost sinister.  She wasn’t going to hurt Azula, no, that could be traced back to her.  But she would definitely give the other girl a piece of her mind.  Several of them.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh had heard every word that Zuko had said to Ty Lee and Mai.  Perhaps it was wrong of him, to listen in on the private meeting between friends, but he’d been deeply concerned about things that might be said.  A woman scorned was no joking matter, and the alpha inside of him had all but demanded that he watch over Zuko during the conversation.

 

He hadn’t been expecting for Zuko to admit that Azula had raped him, for all that he’d been expecting some tears to be shed during the conversation.  And the two had handled it admirably, but when Zuko’s breakdown had continued, he’d known that he had to reveal himself.

 

Zuko trembled in his arms, the force of his sobs shaking his body.  “I hate this,” he choked out.

 

Iroh hugged him close and murmured, “It’s only to be expected.”  He let his fingers tangle in Zuko’s hair, let himself enjoy the softness of it, because Zuko was his omega, and he was allowed to appreciate things like that even as he soothed him.  “You’ve been through so much, and the pregnancy will make you emotionally unstable.”

 

Zuko let out a soggy, broken sound that might have been a laugh if it hadn’t been a sob.  “I asked Katara if she knew how to get rid of it,” he confessed.

 

Iroh’s heart broke for Zuko all over again, because the only time he could have asked her would have been when he’d only just joined with the Avatar, and that conversation couldn’t have gone well.  “I’m sorry that she couldn’t help you,” he murmured.

 

It was the wrong thing to say, and Zuko stiffened in his arms.  “Because you don’t want to raise another alpha’s child?” he asked, his voice breaking in entirely new ways.

 

Iroh shook his head, even though Zuko wasn’t looking at him.  “Because I would do anything to spare you from this pain that you’re in,” he responded.  He tilted Zuko’s head up and brushed a few tears from his cheek.  “Because I would never have wanted this for you, even though I’m happy to raise the children with you.  To be their father, their alpha.  But I would have rathered you be happy, rathered they be the children of someone you chose.”

 

Zuko’s face, which had been all but wrecked by his crying, crumbled the rest of the way, and he began to sob all over again.  He flung himself into Iroh’s arms, and Iroh held him close and let him cry.

 

He knew now that he’d made the right choice.  While Aang might have been willing to bond with Zuko, while Katara might have, he knew that they were in no way equipped to handle this.  Iroh himself, at his venerable age, felt like he might be in over his head.

 

He couldn’t imagine how they might have felt, and he didn’t want to try.

 

But this was not the time to think of it, not with Zuko a sobbing wreck in his arms.  So he focused on him, helping him through as best he could, soothing him and promising him that everything would be okay.  And it would, because Iroh could accept nothing less.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko felt awful once his tears finally stopped.  His head ached, his nose felt stuffy, and his eyes ached.  And he felt like an idiot, because he’d cried again, and he didn’t know why he kept doing that!  Uncle’s excuse about hormones could only get him so far, he thought.

 

He wasn’t this weak, and he hated that he was acting like he was.

 

“How do you feel?” Iroh asked when Zuko pulled away from him ever so slightly.

 

Zuko let out a frustrated noise and scrubbed at his cheeks with his hands, trying to wipe away what was left of his tears.  “I hate this,” he growled, his voice hoarse.  It almost hurt to talk.  “I feel like a fool.”

 

“You aren’t,” Iroh murmured immediately.  He hugged Zuko close, and Zuko didn’t fight the gentle hold.  “You’re not a fool.  You’re just… going through a lot.”

 

“If you tell me it’s hormones one more time—” Zuko started, rage entering his voice.  It wasn’t hormones!  Not entirely, he didn’t think.  But then, how would he know?

 

“Of course it isn’t just hormones,” Iroh said.  There was no cheer in his voice, no flippancy, just grim certainty.  “You were r… you were assaulted, and that comes with a lot of emotions to work through.”

 

Zuko heard the word that Iroh didn’t say, and he froze in his arms.  “I wasn’t,” he denied, his voice shaking.  “I was just… I was in heat, and she… Azula, she…”  He was strong, a well trained warrior.  He hadn’t been… been… 

 

“Zuko,” Iroh said, his tone gently chiding.  “If nothing else, you should at least acknowledge—”

 

Zuko was on his feet and backing away before he even realized it.  “No,” he said.  “No, we’re not having this conversation.”  Not now.  He couldn't.  He couldn’t admit…  no.  It hadn’t been….  She hadn’t…  Azula wouldn’t, and Father wouldn’t have…  no.

 

He knew that he was crying again, and he covered his face with the sleeve of his robe, trying to bring himself back under control.

 

“Okay,” Iroh said.  He had the tone that he used when he was humoring Zuko, but Zuko didn’t even mind at the moment.  He was okay with being humored if it meant he didn’t have to talk about what Azula had done to him.

 

“Okay.”  Zuko drew in a shuddering breath.  He rocked back on his heels.  Now that he was on his feet, he didn’t want to sit on the ground again.  He didn’t know what he wanted.  He wanted… he wanted Uncle to touch him again, and he didn’t know why he wanted it, but his skin was almost buzzing with it.

 

He reached for Iroh, and his touch was immediately accepted.  Iroh took his hand and used it to pull himself to his feet, then stepped forward and wrapped Zuko in another warm embrace.  “Let’s go and get you cleaned up,” he said, his voice warm, like they hadn’t just been on the verge of an argument.

 

Zuko remembered the last bath he’d taken, the one where Uncle Iroh had… had…  and his cheeks flushed, not with shame, but with a hint of  _ want _ that took him by surprise.  After what had happened with Azula, he’d been so sure he would never want anything with anyone ever again.

 

But Uncle Iroh was safe, and had always loved him and cherished him, and this was just an extension of that, wasn’t it?  And now that he was Zuko’s alpha, it was okay for him to want his touch, wasn’t it?

 

“Okay,” he said, a bit shyly, and leaned against Iroh as they walked.  “A bath might be nice.”

 

Iroh let out a small, amused sound, but it didn’t sound like he was laughing at him.  “Of course,” he said.  “Hot baths are always wonderful.  And they’re good for the soul, too.”

 

Zuko thought that maybe that might be true, but he wasn’t sure.  But Uncle Iroh was generally right about many things, so why should he be wrong about that?


	4. Chapter 4

Although he was almost as uncertain this time as he’d been the first time Iroh had done it, Zuko didn’t protest when Uncle Iroh began to strip him of his clothing.  They were dirty, and he was hot, and he was tired from sobbing his eyes out again.  Objecting just seemed like too much work.

 

He sighed as he stepped into the bath, into the steaming hot water that helped his sore, tired muscles relax.  It had only been a day since he’d returned home to the Fire Nation, and his body was still so sore from spending so much time on the road, so much time sleeping in forests on that awful bedroll he’d purchased.  Yes, he was used to it because he’d done it so much when he’d been on the run, but somehow it was so much different when he was carrying a child.

 

This time was different from the last, though, in that Iroh slid into the water across from him with a small, pleased sigh.

 

Zuko looked away, his cheeks flushing.  Everything was so different now, not just the way his body responded to sleeping in the woods without proper accommodations.  The way he responded to his Uncle was different, too, and he didn’t know what to do about that.  He was going to make Uncle Iroh uncomfortable, and that wasn’t his intention.

 

Iroh’s foot nudged him under water, shifting along his inner calf.  “Stop stressing,” he murmured.  He didn’t open his eyes, and instead relaxed deeper into the water’s embrace.  “I can feel it from all the way over here.  Baths are time for relaxing, not stressing.”

 

Zuko sighed.  He tried to make his muscles relax like Uncle had, tried to close his eyes and just let his tensions drift away.  It wasn’t working, though.  He was too frustrated by everything.  It felt like he had lightning under his skin, and nothing he tried allowed him to relax.

 

He gave up on the idea of a warm bath and scrubbed himself off with rough, jerky motions.  The last thing he wanted to do was disturb his alpha, so he got out of the bath and began drying himself off.

 

He heard Iroh sigh behind him, the sound deep and heavy, and then there was the sound of water splashing.  “Don’t,” Zuko muttered.  He didn’t want to disturb him, that was the whole point behind his getting out of the water in the first place.

 

“Zuko, if you’re feeling distressed about something—”

 

“I’m not distressed!”  Why didn’t Iroh understand that?  He was fine.  He was dealing with everything just fine.  He didn’t need anyone to take care of him.

 

He was an alpha, he didn’t need…

 

But he wasn’t an alpha, was he?  He was an omega.  And if he needed his alpha to take care of him, that was okay, wasn’t it?  In fact, it was encouraged for omegas to rely on their alphas.  Which meant… he could ask Iroh…

 

But no.  He should be fine.  He didn’t need…  he didn’t need anything.  He just needed to pull himself together, that was all.  And surely, surely he could manage that.  Couldn’t he?

 

“Zuko,” Iroh murmured, and the sound came from directly behind him.

 

He wasn’t surprised when Uncle Iroh took the towel from his hands and began to dry him off gently.  He was so much more careful with Zuko than Zuko was with himself.  His touch was softer, and so much kinder.

 

“I didn’t want to disturb your bath,” Zuko whispered.  He didn’t protest the touches, though, because he wanted them.  Every time Iroh was gentle with him, every time Iroh took care of him the way that alphas tended to take care of omegas, the massive, hard knot in his chest eased just a little bit.

 

“I don’t mind being disturbed,” Iroh responded.  He finished drying him off, then toweled himself off much more briskly.

 

Zuko kept his eyes averted, because it was only polite.  “But you deserve to—”

 

“And you deserve all the care I can give you,” Iroh interrupted.  He smiled at Zuko, the same expression he’d always worn whenever Zuko was being particularly dense.  “You cannot imagine that I’m capable of relaxing while my omega is working himself into a terrible sulk.”

 

“I’m not sulking,” Zuko muttered.

 

“Then you need to tell me what’s wrong,” Iroh countered.  He led Zuko into the bedroom and settled him on the bed, the both of them still naked.  Iroh began to root through his drawers as he added, “Because I can’t help you unless you talk to me.”

 

Zuko let himself flop back on the bed, revelling in the silken softness of the sheets against his bare skin.  “Everything seems so strange now,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.  “Everything’s… changing.  And I…”  He didn’t know where he fit in with the changes, even though he was the one causing most of them.

 

“I see,” Iroh murmured.  Zuko felt the bed dip beside him, and knew that Iroh had settled next to him.

 

He turned to look at him, to find Iroh had settled next to him while wrapped only in an underrobe, rather than something more sturdy.  Zuko looked determinedly back up at the ceiling.

 

“Things are going to change,” Iroh finally murmured when Zuko said nothing else.  “You’ve admitted something that will rock the foundation of the Fire Nation, but Zuko, that doesn’t mean that you did anything wrong.  You’re not wrong for being an omega, and what happened to you isn’t your fault.”

 

“You keep saying that,” Zuko said, frustrated.  He jumped off the bed and started to pace, uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was still naked.  He didn’t like it.  He already felt like he’d been bared in front of his uncle; he didn’t need to literally be bare right at that moment.  He needed…

 

He didn’t even know what he needed.  Other than clothes.  He definitely needed those.  He turned to Iroh’s closet and started digging, settling for one of Uncle’s shirts, much like the one he’d worn the night before.  It was big on him, but it smelled like Iroh, and that made him feel safe and secure.

 

“I keep saying it because it’s true,” Iroh said.  He didn’t move from the bed, and when Zuko glanced at him, he found that Uncle Iroh had settled in more firmly.

 

Zuko looked away and let out a disgusted noise.  “I could have stopped her,” he said.  He could have.  He could have fought her off, could have…  if he hadn’t been… He could have stopped her.  He was a good fighter.  He should have been able to defend himself, even in the midst of his heat.  And since he hadn’t, didn’t that mean that he’d… he’d wanted it?

 

“No, you couldn’t have,” Iroh said.  He was shaking his head, the motion slow and careful.  “Zuko, that was your first heat, wasn’t it?”

 

Zuko hesitated.  “Yeah,” he finally admitted.  He’d never let it get as far as him having a heat.  When his… when his body had failed to change in the way that would indicate that he was an alpha, Zuko had known, and had refused to even chance going into heat.  He’d started on suppressants right away.

 

“Then there was no way you could have been prepared for how it would affect you,” Iroh said.  He stood up and crossed the room, and went to touch Zuko.

 

Zuko couldn’t have said why, but he flinched back.  Then he immediately felt guilty.  “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, his cheeks heating with embarrassment and shame.  He couldn’t even be a proper omega; he’d just practically rejected his alpha’s touch.

 

He was disgusting.

 

“You’re fine,” Iroh said quickly.  He didn’t touch Zuko, but shifted closer.  “You’re allowed to not want to be touched.”  He didn’t reach for him again, even though Zuko sort of wanted him to try.

 

Zuko stepped forward, hesitantly, and then again, until he was close enough that he could share Uncle’s breath.  Then he stepped forward again and leaned against him, letting his whole body come to rest against Iroh’s.  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he said again, his voice shaking.  “I don’t know why I can’t… just…”

 

“It’s okay,” Iroh murmured.  His arms rose to cradle Zuko gently, carefully, like he was ready to pull away at a moment’s notice.  Zuko appreciated that, even though he very much didn’t want Iroh to pull away from him.  He wanted to be held.

 

This was nice.  It soothed him, made the lightning inside of him gradually ebb away, like the retreating of the tides.  He sagged in Iroh’s arms, finally relaxing the way that the bath hadn’t been able to do.

 

“Better?” Iroh asked.  He made no move to release Zuko.

 

Zuko nodded against him.  “Better,” he confirmed, his cheeks still flushed.  

 

“I’m glad,” Iroh murmured.  He pressed a kiss to Zuko’s head, and Zuko shivered at the tenderness of it.  “Now, it’s about lunch time.  Do you think you’re up for some food?”

 

The last thing that Zuko wanted was to eat anything, but he knew that he had to.  The child inside of him needed him to eat, no matter how little he was interested in it.  “I can try something light,” he said with a small grimace.

 

“That’s all that you need to do,” Iroh said.  He kissed Zuko’s head again, then drew back slightly.  “Just keep trying your best, Zuko, and everything else will work itself out.  I know this isn’t easy on you, and I don’t want you to think that I’m trivializing what you’re going through.”

 

Zuko didn’t think that at all.  If anything, he thought maybe that Uncle Iroh was over dramatizing it.  But he didn’t say that out loud, and just smiled at Iroh.  “Thank you,” he said quietly.  Then, in a deliberate effort to lighten the mood and change the subject, he asked, “So, what kind of tea do you think they’ll serve with lunch?”

 

He was just glad that Iroh allowed the subject change gracefully.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Azula’s days were… well, what was the word?  Boring.  They were boring.  It wasn’t like she ever had any visitors, not that she wanted any.  Who would come to see her?  The two traitors who had once been her best friends?

 

But she’d shown Mai, hadn’t she?  For all that she hadn’t known that they would betray her, for all that she hadn’t known for certain that Zuko would betray the family, she’d still succeeded in her revenge.  And what could possibly be sweeter than that?

 

Nothing.

 

Nothing, except maybe getting out and hunting down that little bitch of an omega.  He would be hers, just as soon as she was free of these chains, this cage.  He wouldn’t have a choice.  She’d taken him in his heat, and she knew, she was certain, that she’d managed to get the little bitch pregnant.

 

Which meant she’d won, and it was only a matter of time before he belonged to her.  Just like he always should have.  Because Zuko was a fool, but a prideful one, and would never go to anyone for help dealing with the problem she’d caused him.  And even if he did, her claim would trump anyone else’s. it was her little brat, after all.  And it didn’t matter that she wanted nothing to do with the child.  It was just a tool to bind her further to Zuko.

 

She giggled a little bit.  Oh yes, she’d definitely managed to seal Zuko’s fate.  It was just a matter of time before she could get out and remind him of that fact.

 

“You seem awfully pleased with yourself, for someone who’s stuck in a straightjacket in a jail cell.”

 

The voice surprised Azula, because she hadn’t heard it in a few months.  She didn’t really hear many voices at all, to be honest.  “That’s because I am pleased with myself,” she said.  She tossed her hair and glared at Mai and Ty Lee.  Just what were those two doing here, anyway?  Hadn’t she made it clear that she never wanted to see either of them again?

 

“Why’d you do it?” Ty Lee asked, her voice shaking a little.  “Azula, how could you?”

 

Azula’s eyes narrowed.  “Why did I do what?” she asked, and tried out her most innocent expression.  It had always worked before, and even though she wasn’t particularly inclined to renew a friendship with them, maybe they could be manipulated into helping her get free…  now wasn’t that a pretty thought?

 

“Why would you rape him?” Mai asked, her voice harsh and almost guttural.

 

Azula blinked.  “I didn’t,” she tried, forcing herself to sound offended.  It wasn’t that hard.  She was offended.  Surely, surely Zuzu couldn’t have been stupid enough to tell someone what she’d done?  She’d told him what would happen if he did, and she knew he was smarter than that.

 

“Oh yes, I think you did.”  Mai stepped forward and gripped the bars of Azula’s cell, her fingers white knuckled.  “He’s an omega, and you abused him.  How could you do it, Azula?”

 

Azula thought about trying to maintain the charade, trying to sway them back around to her way of thinking, but knew that she was going to fail before she even began.  Instead, she shrugged, the motion abbreviated by her bindings.  “Because he was there, and it was fun,” she responded.  “Besides, it wasn’t like Daddy told me I couldn’t.  He’s the one that set the whole thing up.”

 

“And didn’t Zuko’s opinion matter?” Ty Lee asked.

 

Azula rolled her eyes.  “Please,” she said.  She shifted forward, so that she was leaning into them, like she was going to tell them a secret.  “In case you missed it,” she began conspiratorially, “Zuko’s an omega.  They don’t exactly care about who’s fucking them when they go into heat.  He was gagging for it by the time I knotted him.”

 

She leaned back, then, and smirked at the shocked, pained expressions on their faces.  “But honestly, I’m shocked that he admitted it.  I figured he’d run away again rather than face his fate like the little omega he is.”

 

“He’s bonding with Iroh,” Mai said.

 

Azula froze, fury rising within her.  “He’s what?” she asked, her voice whisper soft in her anger.  Zuko was bonding with Iroh?  Zuko was  _ hers _ .  She’d  _ claimed  _ him, for all that she hadn’t bothered to bond him.  He was carrying her child, which meant that he was definitely  _ hers _ .  There was no way, no possible way that she’d cede her authority over him to Iroh of all people.  “He can’t do that!” she snapped.

 

“Oh, he can,” Ty Lee said, a bit smugly, like she was gloating.  “Uncle Iroh made a formal announcement today, letting everyone know that Zuko was an omega, was pregnant, and was going to be his.  It’s just a matter of time now before they officialize it.”

 

Azula’s jaw dropped.  “He’s  _ mine _ !” she snarled.  Her fire rose within her, and she spat it at them, a long stream of it pouring from her lips.  She lunged for the cell door, gaining her feet and rushing it, fire still spewing from her lips.

 

It had no effect.  The cell bars, made especially to contain firebenders, didn’t even heat up a little bit.  She didn’t even get the pleasure of hitting Mai or Ty Lee with her fire, because they both backed up far enough that she couldn't reach them.

 

“He’s my omega!” she snarled at them.  “And Iroh can’t be Fire Lord, because that’s  _ my _ position!  He’s trying to take everything I’ve ever wanted from me, and I’ll never forgive him for that!”

 

“I hate to tell you this, but I don’t think Iroh’s particularly interested in your forgiveness,” Mai said.  She backed up a few more steps, retreating down the dark hallway.  “I don’t know when you turned into such a monster, Azula, but I’m glad that Zuko’s going to be kept away from you by someone strong enough to take care of him, even if you do someday make it out of here.”

 

Azula screamed after them, rage making her fire all the hotter, but it did no good, and in the end she was left only with a sore throat and a hollow feeling inside of her.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Katara hesitated before entering the garden.  Zuko was out there, with Iroh, and the two seemed to be enjoying a quiet cup of tea together.  She didn’t want to disturb them, was loathe to do so, but…  but she wanted to see Zuko, to make sure that he was doing okay.  A part of her needed to see for herself that he was all right.

 

“Katara,” Iroh greeted her with a nod.  He gestured to an empty seat at the small garden table.  “Would you care to join us for some tea?”

 

She hesitated and glanced at Zuko.  He wasn’t look at her, but was instead staring into his cup like it held all the answers in the world.  “I wouldn’t want to impose,” she hedged.  “I just… I wanted to see if Zuko was…  okay.”

 

To her surprise, it was Zuko who said, “It’s no imposition.”  He leaned back in his seat and looked up at her.

 

He looked much better than he had when they’d found him, and it had only been a little over a day since he’d been in Iroh’s care.  The man was clearly working miracles, a fact that impressed Katara more than she could say.

 

She offered Zuko a tentative smile.  “Then, if you’re sure you don’t mind,” she murmured, and slid into the empty chair.

 

Iroh poured her a cup of tea, then offered her the sugar.  She added her preferred amount, then took a small sip and sighed.

 

“Tea does wonders for the soul,” Iroh said, sounding like he was agreeing with the sound she’d just made.  “I find it soothing in times of stress.”

 

Katara smiled down at her teacup.  “And this is a stressful time for all of us,” she agreed.  “How are you doing, Zuko?”

 

“Fine.”  Zuko looked back down at his tea.  “Better,” he said, after taking a deep breath.  “Much better than I was.  Thank you.”  His voice was strained, like he was struggling to be polite, but Katara didn’t mind.

 

In fact, she appreciated the effort.  “I’m glad to hear that,” she said, her voice warm.  “We’ve all been worried about you, you know.  You didn’t seem very comfortable during your Uncle’s announcement.”

 

He’d looked so embarrassed, kneeling there on that pillow.  Katara could only imagine how he’d felt, being an alpha.  She didn’t think she would have been able to tolerate kneeling in front of all of those people.  But then again, she was an alpha, and alphas all had trouble bowing their heads for others.

 

Zuko swallowed.  He took a sip of his tea.  “I really wasn’t,” he muttered.  “But… it was for the best.  Because… because now that he’s said it publicly that he’s going to be my alpha, he can’t take it back.”  

 

There was a warmth in his voice that Katara hadn’t quite expected.  He sounded… happy, to have his personal business aired for the entire Fire Nation to know about.  She didn’t understand, but she didn’t have to.  “I’m glad that you’re happy,” she said honestly.  It was a phrase that she’d never imagined being able to say to Zuko, and yet it was the truth.

 

She was glad that he was happy.  She was just sorry that it had taken him so long to get there, and that she’d hurt him more on his journey.  It had been her intention at the time, and now… well.  The only thing left for her to do was regret what she’d done.  And she did regret it, so very much.

 

“Katara, while you’re here, being a healer and all, I don’t suppose that, if Zuko is willing of course, you might be interested in taking a look at him and making sure that he’s doing okay?”  Iroh’s voice cut into her musing.

 

Katara brightened.  “It would be an honor,” she said, her eyes sparkling.  This, this was something tangible she could do to make up for turning Zuko away in the first place.  Maybe it wouldn’t make up for everything, but it would make up for some of it.  She hoped.  If he was willing, of course.

 

Zuko shivered and stared into his cup in silence for several minutes.  Then, quietly, he said, “If Katara would like to, then I’m okay with it.”  He took another sip of his tea.  “It’s probably a good idea to be looked over, since I didn’t take the best care of myself during the past month.”

 

Katara took another sip of her tea.  “Would you like to go somewhere more private?” she offered.  She didn’t want to examine him in the middle of the garden, where anyone who was so inclined could walk in.

 

“Yeah.”  Zuko finished his tea and glanced at Iroh.  “You’re going to stay with me, right?” he asked, and Katara was shocked to hear how vulnerable he sounded when he asked it.

 

Iroh immediately took Zuko’s hand in his own.  “Of course,” he said warmly.  “Katara, if you’d join us in our private quarters?”

 

Katara finished her tea in one uncouth gulp, then nodded.  “Absolutely,” she said, and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way.  “This shouldn’t hurt or anything,” she said to Zuko.

 

Zuko glanced at her, then away.  “I didn’t think it would,” he muttered.

 

Iroh laughed, helped Zuko to his feet, then led them both to a more private section of the Fire Lord’s Palace.  Katara still had trouble thinking of Iroh as the Fire Lord, but she supposed she’d have to get used to it.  It wasn’t like Zuko could do it, now that they’d made the announcement.

 

She was led to a very nice sitting room, and there she had Zuko lie on his back on the floor.  “This will only take a few minutes,” she reassured him.  “And in the end, I’m sure we’ll have good news about how healthy your child is.”

 

Zuko swallowed.  He clutched at Iroh’s hand with white-knuckled fingers, and Katara felt terrible for how nervous he clearly was.  She’d never seen him this way, not even when he’d been asking about hypothetically making a pregnancy go away.

 

She supposed it was good for him, that he could be vulnerable now.  It made sense, really, that Zuko had been so aggressive in the past.  Overcompensation was a thing, after all.

 

She forced her thoughts away from that direction and instead focused on drawing out her water and using it to examine Zuko’s body.  He was underweight, yes, but anyone could see that.  His body seemed to be adjusting well to carrying a child, but…  it was strange, how large he was.  Katara followed the flow of energy in his body, checking to make sure that everything was working as it should be, and found…

 

Oh.

 

She swallowed and drew her water back.  She could be wrong, because she’d never really worked on someone who was pregnant before, but…

 

“You found something?” Zuko asked, his voice shaking.  “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Katara said quickly.  “Everything’s working as it should.  Your energy is moving through your body just the way that I would expect.”

 

“But…”  Zuko trailed off expectantly.  He sat up and stared at her.  “But what?  You definitely found something you weren’t expecting; you’re not good at hiding your facial expressions.”

 

“Katara, if something’s wrong, we do need to know,” Iroh agreed.

 

Katara sighed.  “I could be wrong,” she started.  “You know, because I’ve never actually examined the chi of a pregnant person before.  But it’s just…  I found…”  She stopped and swallowed, looking down.  “I think you might be carrying twins.”

 

“Twins?” Zuko squeaked.

 

She looked back at him, only to find that he’d gone pale and was swaying alarmingly.  “Zuko!” she cried, just in time for him to fall over in a faint.

 

Iroh caught him and lowered him gently back to the ground, shifting him so that he was comfortably on his side.  “That’s… a surprise,” he said slowly.  “Twins don’t run in our family.”

 

Katara shrugged helplessly.  “I’m not even entirely sure,” she said.  “You should probably see if someone else can take a look at him, someone who knows more about omega pregnancies than me.  I’m sorry that I’m not of more help.”

 

Iroh didn’t seem upset, though.  He just reached out and patted her on the head, like she was a child.  She supposed, compared to him, she was, even if she didn’t like to think of herself that way.  “It’s fine,” he said soothingly.  “You found a possible thing for us to keep an eye on, and it’s one thing more than we knew earlier in the day.”

 

She smiled, a bit shakily.  “Do you need help waking him up?” she asked.  Because she could probably do that, although she wasn’t sure that a shock of cold water was the best idea at the moment.

 

“Not at all,” Iroh said.  “Although, perhaps some help moving him to the couch?  I’m a bit old to be picking him up and carrying him around.”

 

She helped Iroh pick Zuko up without complaint.  He was dead weight, so it wasn’t easy, but they managed to get him settled on the couch, where he would hopefully be comfortable when he woke up.  “Thank you for letting me look at him,” she whispered into the silence of the room, after he was settled.

 

“You needed to,” Iroh said.  “Do you feel better now?”

 

Katara looked away.  “Maybe,” she muttered.  “I… I’m not proud of the way I treated him when he came to me for help, though.”

 

“Then you’ve learned a lesson,” Iroh said, his voice gruff, but affectionate.  “And you won’t make the same mistake twice.”

 

She smiled.  “No,” she agreed.  “I really won’t.”  The next time someone, even someone she didn’t completely trust, came to her with a hypothetical situation, she would do her best to listen, and make sure that she understood the real question being asked before jumping to conclusions.

 

“Good.”  Iroh settled on the couch with Zuko and shifted the prince so that his head was resting in Iroh’s lap.

 

Katara’s smile grew at the sight, and she backed up a step.  “I’m going to leave the two of you alone now,” she said, backing up again.  “Thank you again for letting me take a look at Zuko.”

 

“It was no problem,” Iroh said.  “Thank you for staying.  I think it would do Zuko good to have friends here who he can confide in.”

 

They hadn’t discussed how long they would be staying, but Katara was almost positive that Aang was planning to stay until Zuko gave birth, because he wanted to be there to support him.  And she approved of that, because she wanted to be there for Zuko as well.

 

And, strange as it was, it almost felt like maybe Zuko, now that he wasn’t hiding his status as an omega, might actually let them be there for him.


	5. Chapter 5

Iroh stared down at Zuko’s unconscious face, his heart pounding in his chest.  Twins.  Katara thought that Zuko was going to have twins.  It wasn’t the worst news he’d ever heard, since nothing could ever top the news of Lu Ten's death, but it was not the best news, either.

 

Zuko had been shocked enough to faint which, well, he hadn’t even done that when he’d lost his Agni Kai with Ozai.  That could just be the pregnancy making him more susceptible to shocks, Iroh supposed, but he didn’t think that was the case.  Zuko wasn’t going to wake up happy, he was betting.

 

Still… twins.

 

The more he thought about it, the less Iroh hated the idea.  Twins certainly weren’t the worst outcome possible in this mess.  And, with two of them, he thought maybe there was a chance that at least one of them wouldn’t get Azula’s gene for insanity.  If, indeed, it was something that could be passed down through the generations.

 

Zuko let out a faint noise, a tiny little moan, and his eyes started to flutter open.  He blinked up at Iroh, his golden eyes vague and unfocused.  “Uncle?” he asked.  He didn’t move to sit up, but stayed with his head in Iroh’s lap.

 

“What do you remember?” Iroh asked, deliberately pitching his voice as low and soothing, like he might have used to speak to a frightened animal.  It wasn’t that he liked comparing Zuko to something skittish, but at the moment, well, it was the only thing he could compare him to.

 

Zuko blinked and his eyes went even more distant.  “I was…  Katara was here?  She was… she was looking over the baby, right?”  His eyes widened, alarm seeping into them.  “Iroh, is something wrong with the baby?”  He tried to sit up.

 

Iroh put his hands on Zuko’s shoulders, keeping him still.  If he was going to pass out again, he’d rather Zuko not have far to fall.  “Nothing’s wrong with the baby,” he said soothingly.  “If anything, things are going very well.  In fact, one might even say that they’re going twice as well as we’d expected.”

 

Zuko blinked up at him, and then Iroh got the chance to watch all the color drain from his face for the second time in one day.  “Twins,” he muttered.  “Oh.  She thinks I’m having twins?”  He rolled onto his side, carefully so that he didn’t fall off the couch, so that his face was pressed against Iroh’s stomach.  “I don’t know if I can handle that,” he admitted, his words muffled.

 

“You can,” Iroh said immediately.  He resumed stroking Zuko’s hair, helping to ground him.  “You can handle this, because I’ll be with you every step of the way.”  The alpha inside of him would allow nothing less, not that Iroh was inclined to do anything but.

 

“But what if they’re both…”  Zuko shivered, and he shifted impossibly closer to Iroh, his face pressing further into his stomach.  “What if they turn out like… like their alpha?”

 

“Let’s not go borrowing trouble,” Iroh murmured.  He stroked Zuko’s hair once more, then pushed him slightly back despite the omega’s protest.  “We can handle this, you and I,” he said, making eye contact with Zuko.  “If the children aren’t okay, we’ll be able to deal with that too.  I promise.”

 

Zuko dropped his gaze, unable to hold Iroh’s.  “If you say so,” he muttered, a bit doubtfully.

 

“Zuko, please, when have I ever steered you wrong?”  Iroh put on his most outlandish offended expression, the one that was far too exaggerated to be real.

 

He was rewarded with a small, shy smile from his omega.  “You haven’t,” he agreed.  

 

It wasn’t quite what Iroh had intended; he’d intended for Zuko to take the phrase as more of a joke, but his quiet agreement warmed Iroh.  “That’s right,” he murmured.  He helped Zuko sit up.  “I’ve never steered you wrong, and I’m not about to start now.”

 

He tilted Zuko’s head up and pressed a long, soft kiss to his lips.  He was rewarded with Zuko letting out a pleased little noise and pressing closer, so that he was sitting in Iroh’s lap, straddling him.  Iroh thought briefly about taking things further, but he didn’t think that Zuko was ready for that, not yet.  Not when he still trembled when touched unexpectedly.  So he kept the kiss soft and sweet, slow and careful, and pulled back after several minutes.

 

Zuko was flushed and his eyes were dazed again, but this time it was a much happier expression.  He smiled sweetly at Iroh, and for just a moment, Iroh could see the omega Zuko might have been if Ozai hadn’t been the monster he’d turned out to be.  Then the expression was fading into Zuko’s much more neutral expression, hidden away.

 

“I should get some work done,” Iroh said with a regretful little sigh.  He helped Zuko off of his lap, then stood and stretched.  “I’ve been putting it off for the past two days, but if I’m not careful it’s going to start piling up.”

 

Zuko hesitated.  “I could… I could help?”

 

Iroh wanted to take him up on that, since Zuko had been raised to rule the Fire Nation, but…  “Not yet,” Iroh said with a regretful shake of his head.  “There are too many nobles who would take issue with it right now.  In time, perhaps, but…”

 

“It’s not a good idea right now,” Zuko finished.  He looked away, and the last traces of that sweet omega disappeared in a bitter sneer.  “Of course not.”

 

“Zuko,” Iroh started.  He didn’t know where he was going to go with the conversation, but he wanted to make sure that Zuko didn’t start to resent the decision that he’d made.

 

Zuko shook his head sharply.  “It’s fine,” he muttered.  He took a step back, crossing his arms defensively.  “Of course it is.  I knew what I’d be giving up when I… when you…  now that I’m yours, I’m… I feel…”  He took a deep, shaking breath.  “And that was worth it.  To me, at least.  It was.  I just… I need to adjust.  That’s all.”

 

“If you’re sure that you’re okay,” Iroh murmured.  He took a step back.  He didn’t want to leave Zuko, and strongly suspected that Zuko was lying about how okay he was with the idea of not being allowed to work anymore, but…  There really was work to be done, work that he’d been putting off since Zuko had returned home.  And it would only be worse now that he’d announced that he was taking Zuko as his omega.

 

He could only imagine the amount of alpha noblemen who would be furious they hadn’t been given a chance to court Zuko, and even if Zuko was allowed to assist him, he would never expose him to that kind of hostility.  Alpha posturing was never pretty.

 

“I’m fine,” Zuko said dismissively.  He waved off Iroh’s concerns.  “I’ll just… maybe I’ll go find Aang, and spend some time talking to him.”

 

Iroh’s eyes narrowed, because he knew his nephew was only pretending to be okay.  “I think that would be a good idea,” he said finally.  He stepped forward and pressed another kiss to Zuko’s lips, long and sweet.  “I’ll see you this evening for dinner?” he suggested.

 

Zuko stared up at him, his eyes a little dazed again, that sweet expression back on his face.  “Yeah,” he muttered, and shook his head as though trying to clear it.  When he blinked, the rest of the expression faded away.  “That sounds good.”

 

Iroh turned and left the room, quietly vowing to himself that he would find a way to make Zuko comfortable enough that the expression he’d seen after kissing him became more of his default expression than the other.  Because that expression, it looked happy.  And there was nothing Iroh wanted more than for his nephew to be happy.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Once Iroh had left the room, Zuko collapsed back onto the couch with a shuddering sigh, his whole body trembling.  Iroh had no idea what he did to Zuko when he kissed him like that, and if Zuko had his way, he would never know.  His whole body was tingling, his blood singing with need that he refused to indulge in.

 

He might be an omega, but he wasn’t going to be ruled by his body like others.  He’d given in to the heat once, hadn’t had a choice about it, and he would never let it happen again.  He would never leave himself so vulnerable that he’d beg literally any alpha to mount him like some kind of whore.  Iroh could say all he wanted that it wasn’t Zuko’s fault, but he knew that wasn’t the case.  Anyone else would have been strong enough to resist.

 

They wouldn’t have begged Iroh to touch them in the bath, either, like he’d done.  How disgusting was he, to trick Uncle Iroh into touching him like that when Iroh had only just accepted him as an omega?  No, he wouldn’t be doing that again.  He wouldn’t do anything that might strain his relationship with Iroh.

 

Because for all that he’d accepted Zuko as his omega publicly, and he had, and that was a wonderful and secure feeling, Zuko had no intention of pushing the boundaries of their relationship.

 

He wanted to ignore the way that his skin felt hot, the way that he still ached for Iroh to touch him the way he had in the baths, so he forced himself to get up.  If he ignored the ache between his legs, it would go away eventually.  It always had when he’d been younger, and being pregnant wouldn’t change that at all. 

 

He drew in deep breaths, focusing on channelling his energy through his breaths, and gradually his body began to respond to his commands.  The heat inside of him subsided, the lightning under his skin began to fade away.  He kept his eyes closed and continued to breathe, and when he finally felt ready, he opened them again.

 

Then he set out into the palace, off in search of Aang, or Katara, or Mai, or anyone he could talk to about… about anything.  Anything that would take his mind off of the burning inside of him, the need that he still couldn’t quite quench.

 

He wasn’t in heat, he knew that.  He was pregnant, and pregnant omegas didn’t go into heat.  So this was just… just his body, being stupid.  That was all.

 

He wandered the palace, and did his best to ignore the two guards that followed him in his wanderings.  Of course he was being guarded; he was a pregnant omega.  He wasn’t stupid; he knew exactly how valuable he was if anyone were to be dumb enough to try to kidnap him.  Not like he wasn’t completely capable of fighting back, but he supposed it was good to have guards following him just in case.

 

He didn’t know where Aang was, or any of his other… friends?  Were they friends?  He’d certainly thought he was friends with them by the end of the war, but… were they?  Still?  What if their opinions of him had changed when they’d found out he was pregnant?  When they’d realized that Azula had…

 

A little voice inside of his head reminded him that they hadn’t let him feed them.  Maybe they weren’t friends.

 

Zuko sighed and, instead of continuing to look, found himself turning into the courtyard where he’d fought Azula during the final battle.  He shivered at the sight of it, and almost turned away, but…  but Appa was there, and if there was one being who could almost be guaranteed to not have changed his mind about Zuko, the flying bison was it.

 

He went into the courtyard, and Appa’s head came up when he caught Zuko’s scent.  He let out a small huff of air, but didn’t otherwise move from his position.  When Zuko approached and reached out with a hand that was only the slightest bit hesitant, Appa ducked his head into his hand and let out a small huffing sound.

 

Zuko laughed, the sound escaping in spite of himself.  He stroked a hand over Appa’s head, scratching in all the best places to make the bison let out a soft, happy sounds.  Eventually, after petting him until his hands were tired of scratching, Zuko settled against the flying bison’s side and let his eyes fall closed.

 

“I don’t know why I’m so damn tired,” he complained to Appa.  “I swear, I’ve done nothing but sleep and stress since I got here.”

 

Appa let out a sound that might have been agreement, sympathy, or just a noise.  It was hard to tell, to be honest.

 

Zuko didn’t really care.  He was warm, he was comfortable, and Appa was very soft to lean against.  He found his eyes drifting closed and debated briefly trying to fight it, trying to get up and do something productive even though there wasn’t really anything productive to do, and then let out a small sigh, burrowed closer to Appa, and gave in to the inevitable.

 

He drifted off to sleep.

 

ooOOooOOoo

  
  


Aang stared at Zuko, sleeping so peacefully against Appa.  Momo was in his lap, curled up and letting out small, chittering noises as Zuko’s fingers rubbed behind his ears.  Zuko looked content, and Aang supposed that was all they could really hope for, given what had happened to him.  And his stomach, gently rounding…

 

Aang couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be bearing a reminder of what had happened to him, potentially two of them if Katara was right, and he was glad that he’d never have to find out.

 

He sighed and settled in against Appa as well, close enough that his arm brushed against Zuko’s, but not too close.  He hoped, anyway.  Who knew how Zuko was reacting to things like that?  As much as he and Katara would have been willing to be Zuko’s alphas, he was very glad that Iroh had chosen to take on that duty.  

 

Aang knew that he had a lot to learn about a lot of things, and he didn’t think that either he or Katara would have been ready to give Zuko the support he needed.

 

“Aang?”  Zuko’s voice was warm with sleep, soft and confused.  “When did you get here?”  He shifted, like he was going to move away from Appa, then asked, “When did Momo get here?”

 

Momo chittered at him, and Aang laughed a little.  “I don’t know about Momo; he was already pretty cozy when I showed up.  And I only got here a few minutes ago, so it’s nothing to worry about.”

 

Zuko hummed.  As Aang watched, he leaned back and settled more deeply against Appa.  But his eyes didn’t close, and he stared up at the sky.  “Do you think there’s something wrong with me?” Zuko asked, the words tripping out like he’d tried to stop himself from speaking.

 

Aang was horrified.  “Why would you think there was?” he asked.  He turned to stare at Zuko, his eyes wide.  “There’s nothing wrong with you, or with being an omega, or anything!”

 

Zuko swallowed.  He looked down at Momo, concentrating on the way his fingers slipped through the fur.  “You wouldn’t eat with me,” he said.  It was said with a tone of great hurt, and Aang… couldn’t remember what he was talking about.

 

“When?” he asked, confused.  He’d never refused to eat with someone; he couldn’t imagine how rude that would be.  And… if Zuko was an omega, which he obviously was, refusing food would be… well, from what Aang understood, omegas were driven to take care of their friends and family, and refusing food from one was… it wasn’t good, Aang didn’t think.

 

“When you found me,” Zuko said.  His voice was very soft, like he didn’t want to talk about it and was sorry he’d mentioned it at all.

 

Aang imagined that he was feeling embarrassed for bringing it up, because it wasn’t something he ever would have done before.  But things were changing for Zuko, and it was okay for him to ask questions like that, and Aang wanted to make sure that he knew that.

 

And then he remembered the incident.  “Zuko, you only had a fish!” he said, scandalized.  “We’d already eaten, and we saw your fire after we’d eaten our dinner at our first camp, and we weren’t going to take the only food you had, not when we didn’t have anything to replace it with!”  Taking the only food a pregnant omega had… the thought was… terrible.

 

Zuko blinked up at him, and Aang was disconcerted to see the sheen of tears in his eyes.  “That was the only reason?” Zuko asked, his voice hoarse, like he was trying not to cry.

 

“That was the only reason,” Aang said quickly.  He reached out and patted Zuko on the head awkwardly, trying to comfort him.  “You know how much we love food.  Now that you’re here, you can feed us whenever you want!”

 

And then Zuko burst into tears, leaving Aang flailing, because what was he supposed to do with a crying omega?  Why wasn’t Katara there to help him deal with Zuko?  Tears were definitely not his speciality!

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh hummed as he left his office.  There hadn’t been too many people to deal with, not yet, just paperwork, paperwork, and for a change of pace, some more paperwork.  He did receive one stern letter from Mai’s parents, asking why he hadn’t allowed Mai to court Zuko, but he was waiting to answer it.  He might speak with Mai about it first, and see if she was actually upset about it.  

 

She certainly hadn’t given him that impression when they’d met earlier.

 

“Any idea where Zuko is?” he asked the guard on his door.  The question was a deceptive one, asked casually, but there was only one answer that Iroh really wanted, and that was Zuko’s exact location.

 

If the guards in the palace weren’t keeping track of him, that would leave him open to all kinds of dangerous things, and Iroh refused to let Zuko be in any kind of danger.  It was a purely alpha instinct, the need to know that his omega was safe all the time, and Zuko wouldn’t be happy if he used those instincts to smother him, but knowing where he was?  That wasn’t quite smothering.  He hoped that Zuko would at least understand his need to know.

 

If nothing else, he would have to tolerate it until he gave birth and recovered from the ordeal.  After that, once he was back in fighting shape, then he and Zuko could talk about reducing the number of guards he had.

 

“In the courtyard with the Avatar and his flying bison,” the guard reported.  “He’s been there since you got to your office.  He was napping briefly, but apparently is now crying.”

 

Iroh blinked.  He hadn’t expected that detailed a report, but he supposed seeing Zuko crying was something of a rarity in the castle, and would warrant some gossip.  He didn’t like it, but…  well, at this point, it was a little helpful.  He knew what he was walking in to, at least.

 

“See to it that his emotional state doesn’t become a rumor, won’t you?” he asked the guard, even though it was probably far too late for that, then set off in the general direction of the courtyard.

 

By the time he got there, Aang had clearly exhausted himself trying to calm Zuko down.  It wasn’t that he was crying hysterically or anything, he just had tears streaming down his cheeks and had a death grip on Momo, who seemed to be tolerating it with ill grace.

 

He thought for only a moment about leaving Aang to his fate, because trying to calm down an overwrought omega was never an easy task, but he wasn’t that cruel a man.  He stepped into the courtyard, ignored the grateful looks that Aang was casting his way, and knelt next to Zuko.  He took the lemur away and disregarded the equally reverent looks he got from the flying lemur, and gathered Zuko’s hands in his.

 

“What’s all this, then?” he asked.  It could be anything, and while it grieved him to see Zuko so overwrought emotionally at the moment, it only made sense.  He was dealing with so much, and Iroh knew that the pregnancy was making him over emotional on top of it all.

 

“Aang didn’t not want me to feed him,” Zuko explained, his voice choked.  “And it’s stupid, and I can’t stop crying because of it.”

 

Iroh hugged him.  “It’s okay,” he murmured in his hair.  “You’re allowed to cry.”

 

“Yeah,” Aang chimed in.  He patted Zuko a bit awkwardly on the shoulder.  “You just do whatever you need to, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.  I’ll still be your friend in the end, you know that.”

 

Zuko sniffed, the sound soggy.  “Thank you, Aang,” he mumbled.  He pressed closer to Iroh.  “I’m going to make sure that you guys get a big dinner tonight.”

 

Aang laughed.  “Well, I know that Sokka will certainly appreciate it.”  He brightened.  “Do you want to come eat with us?  Both of you, I mean,” he said, adding the last sentence hastily.

 

Iroh knew that it wasn’t exactly proper for an unbonded omega, or even a bonded one, to eat without at least one member of his or her family present, especially in the presence of unbonded alphas.  But if there were ever a group that he trusted Zuko with, it was the Avatar and his friends.

 

“Actually,” he said slowly, drawing the word out as he thought of the best way to phrase what he was thinking.  “Maybe it might be better for Zuko to join you without me.  Just to give him a chance to spend some time with all of you, without worrying about an old fart like me listening in.”

 

Zuko’s fingers clenched in his robe, but he watched as his nephew drew in a deep breath and forced his fingers to unclench.  “If you’re sure,” he said, a bit doubtfully.

 

Iroh smiled down at Zuko.  “I think it would be good for you,” he said honestly.  He pressed a kiss to Zuko’s forehead, then stood.  “I’m going to head back to my rooms, indulge in a little bit of downtime.  I’ll see you when you’re done with dinner, Zuko.  Aang, if you’d escort him back to my rooms before midnight?”

 

Aang beamed at him.  “I can do that!” the Avatar chirped.  He seized Zuko by the hand and began to tow him out of the courtyard.  “So, what are you feeding us?  You promised something big!”

 

Zuko stared over his shoulder at Iroh until the entrance to the courtyard closed behind him, and Iroh sighed.  It really was good for Zuko to spend time with his friends, and Iroh refused to let him turn himself into one of those omegas who never left their alpha’s side.  Even if he did worry about Zuko’s safety.

 

Zuko would never be happy that way, and Iroh wanted nothing more than to see him truly happy.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

“Of course he takes the pretty little omega for himself, the greedy bastard.”

 

“I don’t know that that’s a fair statement to make,” someone protested.  His face was covered by a dark hood, but it didn’t matter, because he knew exactly who had spoken.  He knew everyone at the meeting, and this boy was just too young to understand what was going on.

 

Not that Ukano was surprised.  He also wasn’t an alpha, and wouldn’t understand what it was like to live with an alpha’s instincts.  The sight of that little bitch on his knees for the old fool Iroh…  It made his blood boil.

 

“He’ll never be able to take proper care of the thing,” someone else hissed.

 

Ukano nodded in agreement.  “Something needs to be done,” he found himself saying.  “Someone needs to stand up to him, let him know that his taking of the omega was unacceptable.”

 

“And what would you have us do?” the same one who’d spoken first asked.  “He’s already announced that he’s keeping him.”

 

“Fortunately, we have firebenders in our midst,” Ukano said.  His eyes sought out those of the young man who’d argued against what they were saying.  “If one of them were to challenge Iroh to an Agni Kai before he can successfully bond with the omega, that will leave the field open for one of us to take him.”

 

“Maybe even the person who beats the old, fat cow could be the one to take the omega,” a different bender said, glee in his voice.

 

Like Ukano would ever allow such a thing to happen.  Zuko was his, his and his wife’s, and they would all accept that sooner or later.  Instead, he nodded.  “Of course,” he said agreeably.

 

Iroh wouldn’t know what hit him.  He was old, out of practice, and rumors of what he’d done at Ba Sing Se were clearly exaggerated.  Iroh would fall, and Ukano would be the new Fire Lord, ruling through his bond with Zuko.

 

It only seemed fair, given that Zuko had broken his daughter’s heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Zuko had had every intention of making sure the dinner went well, for all that he’d only just started to think of it when Iroh had put the idea in his head.  Even though he didn’t love the way that Iroh had pushed him to go without him…

 

No, no, that was fine.  Iroh was looking out for him; that was his job as Zuko’s alpha and as his Uncle.  And he’d sworn to take care of Zuko in public, and there was no way he’d be going back on that by trying to get Zuko to be interested in Aang and Katara’s offer.

 

The thought stayed in the back of his mind, though, all through dinner.  But, in spite of the thought and the fear that didn’t even make any sense, he made himself try to have a good time.  And he managed!  Mostly.  He thought.  Nobody seemed to be noticing that he was a little bit upset, at least, and that was all he could ask for.

 

And then… and then…  “So, when are you two going to go on a search for an omega?” Suki asked, teasing, in the general direction of Aang and Katara.

 

Aang stuck his tongue out at her, going cross-eyed.  “I’m way too young to worry about things like that!” he protested.

 

“Besides, finding an omega isn’t every alpha’s priority,” Katara said with a haughty little sniff.

 

“What I’m hearing is that you’re both heart broken that Zuko chose Iroh over you two,” Toph said.  She giggled a little as she said it.

 

Zuko flinched.  Were they?  He hoped not.  He’d just…  Katara and Aang were both alphas, and yes, Katara was…  they might have been his second choice, but they would never have been his first choice.  Not as long as Iroh was alive.

 

Iroh had always been his first choice, his only choice.

 

And that was… it was weird, wasn’t it?  That he’d always wanted his Uncle?  His much older Uncle who’d never shown any inclination of bonding again after Lu Ten’s mother died.  It was wrong of him, wasn’t it?  

 

The thought that he’d guilted Iroh into accepting him as his omega entered his head again, and he tried to shove it away.  Iroh wouldn’t have accepted him if he didn’t want him.  Zuko  _ knew  _ that.  He just…  

 

The sniffles didn’t exactly take him by surprise, and neither did everyone’s reaction to them.  But they weren’t helping, fluttering over him and cooing and worrying in his general direction, and Aang’s trying to cheer him up wasn’t really doing anything either other than just upsetting him even more, and Zuko tried his hardest to stop crying, but it wasn’t working.

 

He wanted Iroh, and he didn't want to want Iroh, because he was so unsure of whether or not Iroh wanted him, and he felt like he would never be completely sure.  And that broke his heart, even though Iroh kept promising that this was for forever.  Tah they were for forever.  And that was the whole point of the public promise.

 

But even so, Zuko felt like his heart was breaking, and he had no idea why. 

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Sokka wasn’t exactly the most perceptive of people, but even he could tell that the dinner wasn’t going well.  It wasn’t that it was going badly, but… well, Zuko looked like he was going to cry, and Sokka just wasn’t ready to deal with that.

 

Crying omegas were terrifying, and he never wanted to have to take care of one.  He was happy to be a beta, because he would never be expected to.

 

And then Zuko was sniffling, just like Sokka had thought he might start doing.  Aang’s face fell when it started.  “It was going so well,” the Avatar muttered.

 

Sokka blinked at him.  Where had Aang been sitting?  Zuko had appeared to be on the verge of tears for the entirety of the meal.  If that was going well, Sokka would honestly hate to see what Aang thought was going badly.  Maybe his battle with Ozai counted as going badly during certain parts of it?

 

Katara and Suki were fluttering over him, trying to get Zuko settled, trying to help him stop crying, but Sokka was watching, and even he could tell that it was only going to get worse.  Zuko was a mess.  Which, to be fair, Sokka was pretty sure he’d be a mess too if Katara had ever…

 

Eww.  Nope, not going there.

 

Point was, Zuko had every right to be upset, and would probably be upset for a very long time.  And, honestly, none of them were really qualified to help him through what he was going through.  They could be his friends, yes, but Sokka didn’t think that was what Zuko needed at all.  Or, not completely what he needed, instead.  Because everyone needed friends.

 

“We should go get his alpha,” he said quietly to Toph, who was sitting next to him still.

 

She tilted her head in his direction.  “Nah,” she said dismissively.  “He’ll be fine.  Give Katara and Aang and Suki a chance to get him settled.”

 

Sokka hesitated.  He wanted to listen to her, because it wasn’t that Iroh wasn’t a nice man, because he was, it was just that he didn’t see this going well, and if they didn’t go and get him when Zuko was breaking down, he might not let them see him for a while.  And Zuko didn’t seem like he was settling at all with Katara and Suki fussing over him, or with Aang trying to do tricks to cheer him up, and the whole thing just seemed like sort of a disaster.

 

“I’m gonna go get Iroh,” he decided, and hopped to his feet.  Toph made a noise of protest, but Sokka didn’t stick around to hear her out.  Zuko was getting worse, not better, and even if he didn’t know what set him off, even if he was just a beta, he knew that an omega was always more comforted when their alpha was with them than they were when he or she was not.  

 

It didn’t take him long at all to find Iroh’s rooms, mostly because Zuko had given them a tour before he’d fled the palace, while he’d still been the Fire Lord, and Iroh had moved into the rooms that had once been Zuko’s.  That were still Zuko’s, Sokka supposed.

 

He found the old man drinking a cup of tea, studying a game of Pai Sho that looked to be in progress.  Sokka wasn’t sure if he was playing himself or playing Zuko, but either way, it didn’t matter.  “Zuko’s crying,” he blurted out instead of announcing himself properly.

 

Iroh looked up and sighed, the sound small and unhappy.  “Thank you,” he said, and levered himself up from the ground.  “How did the dinner go before that?”

 

Sokka shrugged.  Things had been going… not great, but not terribly.  Zuko didn’t seem too upset, not until the conversation had turned to teasing Katara and Aang about their relationship, and that was about the time that he’d started crying.  

 

“I see,” Iroh murmured.  There was a sort of weariness to his voice that was kind of alarming, because even Sokka knew that Zuko would be a long time recovering from what had been done to him.  If he wanted to be upset, then he had every right to be.

 

“You’re… I mean…”  Sokka stopped.  Was he even allowed to ask what he wanted to ask?  Then again, if he didn’t, would anyone else ask it?  “Look, I get it, Zuko’s kind of messed up, so are you okay to be dealing with him? Because if you’re just going to make him worse in the long run—”

 

Iroh whirled around, faster on his feet than Sokka had expected, and took one single step forward.  Sokka stood his ground, because he was legitimately concerned, and he thought he had a good point.  Zuko clearly needed support, and if Iroh couldn’t do it… maybe Aang and Katara couldn’t do it either, but then they needed to work on finding someone who could.

 

“I can take care of him,” Iroh said.  The words were blunt, dark, and had just a hint of a growl to them.  “It’s my honor to do so.”  Then he turned on his heel and headed off in the direction of Aang’s room.

 

Sokka scrambled after him.  “Okay, but do you mean that it’s your honor like you’re happy to do it, or is it your honor like finding Aang was Zuko’s honor?  Because there’s a world of difference between those two things.”

 

Iroh surprised him by laughing at the question.  “I mean that it’s my honor, and taking care of Zuko, while it will stress me out in the short term, will be one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done in my life, and I am happy to be here for him when I need to be.”

 

Sokka subsided for all of a few steps.  Then he blurted out, “But you don’t seem exactly thrilled right now.”

 

“Because Zuko is upset at the moment,” Iroh said patiently as they continued walking.  “And he’s not being very kind to himself, and I don’t know how to fix that.  But I’m going to, and I’m going to help get him to a point where he understands that it is both okay to cry, and okay to be upset in front of others who are not me.”

 

“He didn’t send me to get you or anything,” Sokka said.  “I just… thought it was a good idea.  Because he didn’t seem to be improving.”

 

“Because he was probably embarrassed,” Iroh said calmly.  “You made the right decision, coming to get me.”

 

Sokka finally fell silent, and continued to follow Iroh back to Aang’s room.  By the time he got back, Zuko had worked himself into a terrible state and was hiding in the bedroom, bunched up in a corner if what little he could hear from Aang was right.  Iroh just swept into the bedroom and shooed Aang out, and then they all waited in relative silence, listening as Iroh coaxed Zuko out of the room, and out into the hall.

 

“Thank you for having dinner with Zuko,” Iroh said as he was leaving.  “I’m sure he had a lovely time, and will see you again shortly.  When he is, perhaps, not quite so overwrought.”

 

Sokka waited until the door closed behind Iroh, leaving a sudden silence that stretched into what felt like an eternity, and then he said, “I told you that getting Iroh was a good idea.”

 

Toph punched him, but it was worth it for the spark of nervous laughter and the return of the conversation.  Even if he’d have a bruise for a small eternity, thanks to how hard she could hit.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko tried to be silent as he walked with Iroh back to their shared rooms.  His face was sore from crying, again, and he was so angry with himself on top of it.  Why couldn’t he just… just stop?  He was fine!  He didn’t need to be crying all the time!

 

It wasn’t like he had any reason to be upset, not anymore.  Azula was in prison and couldn’t… not that she’d ever hurt him or anything, not like he hadn’t been begging for her to take him, to knot him, and damn it all, why was he crying again?

 

He scrubbed angrily at his eyes, rubbing harshly until his hands were grabbed.

 

“Stop.”  Iroh’s command, while gentle, was implacable.

 

Zuko flinched.  “I hate this,” he said, his voice breaking and hoarse from all  the crying he’d done.  He couldn’t stop the breaking any more than he could stop his tears, and he wasn’t proving to be effective at that at all.

 

Iroh towed him the rest of the way to their rooms, then pressed Zuko down onto the couch in their sitting room.  “I need you to listen to me,” he said, his voice grave.  “Are you willing to listen?”

 

Iroh always gave good advice, and besides that, he was Zuko’s alpha.  There was no question of not listening.  Zuko drew in a shuddering breath.  There was a strange scent to the room, but it wasn’t important.  He shoved the thought of it aside in favor of paying attention to his Uncle.  “I’ll try,” he said.  It was really all that he could promise, that he would do his best to listen.

 

“You need to be more gentle with yourself,” Iroh murmured.  He knelt in front of Zuko and took both of his hands in his own, squeezing gently.

 

“I don’t understand,” Zuko said.  Be more gentle with himself?  What did that even mean?  Why did his Uncle always have to be so damned cryptic?

 

“You’re angry with yourself because you keep crying,” Iroh said.  He brushed a hand gently against Zuko’s damp cheek, catching a few of the tears.  “You don’t have to be.  You’re still reeling after so many shocks; you need to let yourself feel whatever it is that you need to feel.”

 

“I’m not reeling from anything!” Zuko protested, the words automatic.

 

Iroh just stared at him, one eyebrow slowly rising.

 

Zuko dropped his gaze.  “Maybe I’m reeling,” he admitted.  “But I just… I just don’t know how to be…”  Gentle. With himself.  He didn’t know how to excuse himself while he was trying to figure out… who he was.  His place in the world.  And that was the problem, wasn’t it?  This might be who he was, now, crying all the time and overly emotional.

 

He felt like a wreck, like the remnants of one of the war balloons that had been destroyed during Aang’s final battle with his father, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

 

Iroh cupped his cheeks with both hands.  “Then be kind to yourself while you figure it out,” he murmured.  “Let yourself feel whatever it is that you need to feel, and stop being so angry with yourself all the time.”  Then he leaned up and pressed his lips to Zuko’s in a gentle kiss.

 

Zuko trembled through it, his lips tingling and the nerves in his body singing.  He let out a small, needy sound and found himself shifting forward, until he almost tipped right off the couch and into Iroh’s lap.  He would have been okay with that.

 

Apparently Iroh was not, because he steadied him and pulled back slightly.  “Careful,” he murmured, his voice light with amusement.

 

Zuko blinked at him, his head falling slightly to one side, baring his neck.  He felt like he was lost in a daze as his lips parted and he let out another needy sound.  He reached up and stroked his fingertips along his own neck.  His heart was pounding and his head was spinning.  He felt like… like he was going into heat again?

 

But he was pregnant.  He couldn’t go into heat while he was pregnant, could he?  He didn’t think he could, didn’t think that it worked like that…

 

Iroh’s eyes tracked the motion, his eyes darkening.  His nostrils flared as he breathed in.  “Zuko,” he began, his voice a low growl.

 

Zuko shivered to hear the sound and his head fell further to the side.  He didn’t know what he was doing, but it felt right, and hadn’t Iroh just told him to basically stop fighting his instincts?  If this felt right…

 

Iroh surged forward and kissed him again, this time far less gently.  This time, he nipped at Zuko’s lips and used his tongue to wage war on Zuko’s mouth, and Zuko let it happen.  He fell back into the couch with a moan and wrapped his arms around Iroh, and his legs as well.  He pulled him as close as he could and let his mouth be taken, surrendering to Iroh’s claim.  He wanted… He wanted…

 

“Are you ready for me to claim you, then?” Iroh growled in his ear when he pulled back.  There was something so distinctly alpha about the sound that it made Zuko shiver and let out another moan.  “Is that what you want, Zuko?  You need to tell me if you do.  I won’t do this without you saying it out loud.”

 

Zuko whined high in his throat, a sound that he thought maybe he should be embarrassed by, but he couldn’t summon the shame.  “Please,” he begged, his voice wrecked in a way he’d never heard from himself before.  “Please, Uncle, claim me.  Make me yours.  Knot me,” he begged.

 

“If you’re ready,” Iroh said.  He pulled back, and Zuko whined to feel the loss.  “Go to bed, Zuko.  I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

Zuko stood on shaking legs and headed in the direction of the bedroom, no thoughts of disagreement on his mind.  His whole body trembled with need; he felt flushed and hot and desperate in a way that he’d only felt when he’d been in heat.  What if he was?  What if this hurt the baby, or the babies if Katara was right?

 

Still, in spite of his fear and confusion, he couldn’t stop himself from stripping, from settling on his back, from squirming at the feel of the cool sheets on his heated skin.  He heard sounds from the bathroom, and then Iroh entered the room once more.  Zuko knew it because his every sense was attuned to Iroh, and he wanted and needed him to be on the bed with him, not hovering in the doorway.

 

“Iroh,” he breathed, and reached for him.

 

“You’re beautiful like this,” Iroh murmured.  He stripped out of his robes and settled on the bed, between Zuko’s legs but not quite resting any of his weight on him.

 

Zuko still shivered to feel him, trembled at the compliment.  “I don’t,” he gasped out.  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he managed to say.  “I want you so much, it’s like I’m in heat again, but I can’t be, can I?”

 

Iroh smiled down at him, the expression so gentle, so warm and affectionate, and then he leaned in to kiss Zuko, long and slow and sweet.  It made Zuko’s whole body tremble with need that he couldn’t suppress, and he whined again and helplessly shifted his hips so that his length brushed against his Uncle’s.

 

“Am I in heat?” he asked again when the kiss broke.

 

“No, Zuko,” Iroh murmured.  He stroked Zuko’s hair back from his face.  “You’re just ready to bond.  Potentially because I believe there was an omega in here while you were eating with Aang and your other friends.”

 

Zuko growled at that.  “What was another omega doing in my rooms?” he asked, his lips curling into a snarl.  He wanted to pull away from Iroh, but at the same time, Iroh was his and he needed Iroh to knot him, claim him, make their bond completely undoable.

 

“That’s nothing for you to worry about right now,” Iroh growled back.  “You’re mine; I wasn’t interested in him at all.  Don’t you ever worry about that.”

 

Zuko shifted beneath him, using his legs to pull Iroh closer to him.  “If I’m yours, prove it!” he challenged.

 

Iroh’s eyes narrowed, and he shifted, and then Zuko let out a small, startled yelp when he felt a finger sliding into him.  He was slick, dripping with it, and he hadn’t even realized it.  But it made sense.  Omegas did that when they were aroused, not just when they were in heat.

 

Iroh stilled when he made the noise.  The snarl faded from his face, every trace of aggression vanishing into the warm concern Zuko was more familiar with from him.  “You want this, don’t you?” he asked, his voice more coaxing than demanding.

 

And Zuko did, more than anything, but he needed Iroh to be gentle with him.  “Please,” he whimpered, and shifted his hips up to try and coax him into doing it again.  “Be gentle?” he added hopefully.  Because Azula… she hadn’t been gentle at all.  And Zuko hadn’t minded at the time, but…

 

Iroh leaned down and kissed him again, keeping the touch of their lips slow and sweet and tender, and then he moved the finger inside of Zuko.  It felt strange, but not bad, and soon Zuko found himself rocking into it, helpless against the strange sensations it provided.

 

“More,” he gasped out, shifting his hips almost desperately.  He felt like he was on the brink of orgasm, and if Iroh continued, he might…

 

“I’m going to give you everything you need,” Iroh promised.  He slid a second finger in and Zuko barely felt the burn of it stretching him. 

 

He felt like he was lost in a daze, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling.  It was what he needed, and he needed more of it, and then Iroh was using his other hand to stroke his cock from base to tip, and Zuko howled as he went over the edge.

 

The need didn’t fade in spite of the mess on his stomach.  If anything, it was worse, and his cock hardened again almost immediately.  He whined and shifted.  “Please,” he begged again.

 

“I’m going to take care of you,” Iroh said, and kissed him softly and sweetly, and then pulled his fingers out.

 

Zuko cried out at the loss, feeling so empty and so alone and so bereft for a moment that he didn’t know how he was going to deal with it, and then…  and then Iroh was sliding into him, sliding home, and his length was perfect and thick and it filled Zuko up and he moaned and shivered and cried out as Iroh began to fuck him, his cock moving perfectly inside of Zuko.

 

And then he was getting even thicker, and Zuko screamed as Iroh’s knot swelled inside of him and then he was coming again, and Iroh was spurting inside of him, and then there was a sharp bit of pain, but it was swallowed by the sweet pleasure that came after it, the sweet feeling of belonging, of being Iroh’s cherished and beloved omega, and Zuko wasn’t even embarrassed when the world went black around him, because anyone would pass out at that.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh shuddered as Zuko’s body milked the rest of his orgasm from him, and he held his nephew as close as he could, his face buried in his neck, Zuko’s blood coating his lips.  It was a messy thing, the business of bonding, but he already knew that he would never regret going through with it.  Already he felt closer to Zuko, which might make some omegas uncomfortable, but he knew that the security of it was exactly what Zuko needed.

 

It should have been obvious that he would be set off by the omega that had visited Iroh while Zuko had been at dinner, but Iroh hadn’t even considered it when he’d brought Zuko back to their rooms.  He’d been too preoccupied, both with Sokka’s obvious concern about his ability to care for Zuko, and with the news that the omega had brought with him.

 

There were people plotting to take his omega away from him.  The thought brought a snarl to his lips and he clutched Zuko even closer to himself, his body trembling in response to the very idea.  Zuko was  _ his _ , had been his since the moment Zuko had accepted him, and anyone who didn’t like it was going to be deeply regretful of that fact, especially if they were stupid enough to act on it.

 

Even unconscious, even overwhelmed by the knotting and bonding, Zuko let out a soft, rumbling little purr and tilted his head further to one side, giving Iroh even better access to his neck.  It was an unconscious gesture designed to soothe an alpha, and it worked.

 

Zuko wanted him.  Zuko wasn’t just settling for him; he actually wanted him.  No matter how old he was, Zuko had chosen Iroh, and he couldn’t forget about that.  It wasn’t like Zuko would just allow someone to hurt him, to take him from Iroh, and Iroh needed to remember that.

 

He let out a low, soothing sound, and pressed a soft kiss to Zuko’s neck, right where the flesh was still torn.  It would take several days for the bonding mark to heal, and it would have to heal naturally.  Katara wouldn’t be allowed to heal it away, not that Iroh thought she would be rude enough to make the offer.

 

Iroh’s knot began to deflate, and he carefully worked himself free of Zuko’s body.  Zuko was messy, evidence of his orgasms covering his stomach and Iroh’s dripping from inside of him, and blood streaking his neck.  He would clean him up before he woke, and get the wound dressed so that it didn’t risk infection.

 

He would take good care of his omega, the best care any alpha ever had.  Zuko would know how cherished he was, how loved, and would eventually flourish in spite of the rocky start to their relationship.  It was just a matter of time, Iroh truly believed that.

 

He pressed a soft, gentle kiss to Zuko’s lips, then pulled away and got out of bed.  He was going to take such good care of Zuko, starting with cleaning him up and settling him more comfortably in bed.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

_ I cannot abide with the treason you and yours have proposed, but nor can I let you walk foolishly to your deaths.  The Fire Lord will kill all of you if you go through with your plan.  An alpha could do no less in defense of his omega, and the Fire Lord is most definitely an alpha. _

 

Ukano’s fist clenched, crumpling the note in his hand.  It was written by one of the people who’d attended their meeting, who’d been loyal to the cause, and now… now this?  Who did this little brat think he was?

 

And now, for him to warn Iroh of their plans, to give the old man a chance to defeat them before they even had the chance to get started?

 

No.  No, Ukano hadn’t done everything he’d done just to walk away at the first real sign of opposition.  He was going to destroy Iroh; he was going to claim the mantle of Fire Lord for his family, for his darling daughter, so that he could rule through her.  So that his descendants could be on the throne, as they were meant to be.

 

It was simple.

 

He would have to find another way, another firebender who might be willing to challenge Iroh to an Agni Kai.  And that would be no simple task at all.  Finding firebenders who were willing to challenge the Fire Lord would be almost impossible, unless…

 

Unless he went to the one firebender who had been Fire Lord once before.  Granted, she’d only held the position for a scant few hours, but…  but she was the one who’d gotten the bitch of an omega pregnant, wasn’t she?

 

A slow smile bloomed over Ukano’s face.  Azula would do nicely for his plans, he thought.  After all, what alpha wouldn’t go mad at the thought of their omega taking another alpha’s knot?

 

And mad alphas were pathetically easy to manipulate.  Yes, this would work, and far better than his original plan.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided not to add any other pairings to the tags, so that this fic doesn't show up in what might be a more popular tag. So, consider this your tag: There is a bit of Mai/Ty Lee coming up in the story.

There were things that Iroh had never thought he’d miss about having an omega of his own, because he’d never had the opportunity to enjoy them while he’d had one. One of those things was waking up with a trusting omega curled up in his arms.

His first omega had never been much of a snuggler, and had, in fact, always preferred to sleep in separate beds, except for when she was on her heat. He hadn’t begrudged her that, and had been more than willing to indulge her in whatever she wanted, including letting her sleep on her own. He’d been young, anyway, and was revelling in his own independence. He hadn’t particularly wanted to spend every night with her in his arms.

Waking up with Zuko in his arms, curled up and fast asleep, was one of the most beautiful things that had ever happened to Iroh, and he wondered what he’d missed out on for all his years of avoiding this intimacy with his previous omega.

Zuko purred at him when he smoothed his hair back, the sound soft and sweet, and Iroh’s heart clenched. He’d never imagined…

He’d thought it would be strange, being bonded to his nephew, but he was finding it even easier than he’d ever thought to adjust to this new relationship. It helped, he thought, that Zuko was so sweet, so needy. He soaked up affection like a sponge, and Iroh imagined that it would only become a more prevalent trait, Zuko’s need for affection. Now that it was safe for him to want it, it was likely that he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

And Iroh was happy, so very happy, that Zuko was starting to feel safe enough to express his needs, to let his omega side shine through.

Still… as much as he was enjoying holding Zuko…

The low chime of a bell announcing the time had Iroh regretfully pulling away from his nephew. Zuko let out a sleepy, irritated noises as he disengaged, but didn’t really struggle to hold on to him. That would undoubtedly come later, as he grew more comfortable in their relationship.

Iroh had a lot of work to do, and as little as he wanted to do it, he knew that he should get started. All of it was to protect Zuko, after all, and he would let nothing, not even Zuko’s disappointed sleeping face, get in the way of that.

He didn’t stop himself from pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead, though. He tore himself away eventually, still reluctantly, and headed into the sitting room. He didn’t want to leave him, and knew that he wouldn’t be able to convince himself to leave the room entirely, so he settled on the couch and got to work there, having a few of his assistants bring him some of his work.

He didn’t know how long he was working before he was disturbed by a sound… a sound that he hadn’t been expecting to hear in a very long time, if ever. Despite the distress that it awoke within his alpha, he couldn’t help but smile to hear it.

Zuko had to be feeling much more in touch with his inner omega if he was letting out the distress noise that would, theoretically, summon Iroh from anywhere within a radius of ten miles.

He set his paperwork aside and headed into the bedroom to investigate, where he found Zuko with his face hidden beneath a pillow, trying desperately to muffle the sound. It seemed as though he didn’t know what he was doing, and Iroh found the sight of him to be absolutely precious.

It took everything in him not to tell him so, and he only just managed to keep his comments to the low, rumbling purr of an alpha as he wrapped himself around Zuko, soothing the distress away.

ooOOooOOoo

Zuko woke up sore, but not as sore as he’d woken up after his heat, when Azula had taken him. He was just… more sore than he normally was, and his neck ached fiercely. That, actually, was more than an ache now that he was focusing on it. He glanced down in the general direction of the pain and froze to see a massive gauze bandage covering his neck.

His heart started to pound. What had happened last night? Had he… had he bonded with Uncle Iroh?

He sat up and his head spun. He was alone in the room and, in spite of the fact that he was an adult who should be perfectly fine waking up alone, he hated it. He found himself letting out a sound that he’d never made before, a low crooning noise that somehow perfectly communicated his dislike of the situation, and covered his mouth with both hands to try and stop it.

He didn’t know what he was doing, had never heard a sound like that before, but for some reason it was making him feel better to make the sound. Still, because he didn’t know what it was, he knew that he needed to stop.

He fell back onto the bed and shoved a pillow over his head to make the sound stop, or at least to muffle it so that he couldn’t be heard out in the sitting area. This was ridiculous. What was he even doing, and why couldn’t he stop?

The door clicked open, and his low, sad sound was met with a soft, rumbling sort of purr. Zuko stilled, the sound stopping almost as soon as the purr hit his ears. The bed dipped, and Zuko found himself pulled into Uncle Iroh’s very familiar arms.

“I didn’t want you to wake alone,” Iroh murmured into Zuko’s ear. He hugged him close. “Unfortunately, I had some work I needed to get done. But I was just out in the sitting room, I promise.”

Zuko took the pillow away from his face and blinked up at Uncle. He was still making that soft purring noise, and it was incredibly soothing. He felt his eyes drifting closed at the sound of it, and didn’t try to stop it. “Stay?” he asked, and found his voice to be incredibly hoarse.

Had he… he’d been screaming last night, hadn’t he? He lifted a hand to touch the bandage on his neck. They’d bonded, and it had been magical. Zuko thought, at least. His memories were very fuzzy.

Iroh pressed a kiss to his forehead. “How about a compromise?” he asked, his voice warm with affection. “How about you come out to the sitting room with me, and you rest in my lap while I do some of my work that’s been piling up? Will that work?”

It wasn’t quite what Zuko wanted. What he wanted was to spend a nice, lazy day in Uncle’s arms, getting kissed and petted and… and that wasn’t practical at all, and he acknowledged that. “It’ll work,” he mumbled, and struggled to pull away from Iroh.

He was released and got to his feet with only a little bit of protest. He pulled on a soft, silken robe, knotted it, and followed Uncle out into the sitting room, where he crawled into his lap as soon as Iroh had settled himself.

His eyes drifted shut again, he pressed even closer, and before he knew it, he’d fallen back to sleep. He just hoped that he didn’t sleep the entire day away.

ooOOooOOoo

Iroh studied his nephew, whose head rested so peacefully in his lap. His hair, which was getting longer slowly, was unbound and spilled over his face like a short length of black silk. His face was pressed against Iroh’s stomach, and he occasionally let out a small, pleased noise in his sleep. His breaths tickled, but not enough for Iroh to shift him away.

He closed his eyes and let himself savor the feeling of having an omega again, then opened his eyes at the sound of a hesitant knock on the door. “Come in,” he called, knowing full well who was at the door.

Mai slipped into the room, shadowed by Ty Lee. “You wanted to see me, Fire Lord Iroh?” she asked with a respectful bow.

Iroh cleared his throat. “I did,” he agreed. “I wanted to speak with you about a message I received from your parents. It seems that they were quite put out with me for not allowing you the opportunity to court Zuko. Is that something you’re harboring resentment over?”

Mai blinked at him, and while her face would never be particularly expressive, Iroh was almost certain that he was reading the surprise correctly. “I never wanted an omega,” she said bluntly. “Perhaps I never made that clear to my parents, or even to Zuko himself, but I was never interested in settling down with one.”

Ty Lee glanced at her friend, her brow furrowing. “You never told me that!” She jabbed her in the stomach with her elbow. “And here I thought you were upset too.”

Mai shrugged. “It’s a strange thing, because everyone expects an alpha to want an omega, but I never have.” She glanced at Zuko and her lips curled into a small, almost smile. “Although, I do admit, if he’d come to me first, I would have been hard-pressed to turn him away.”

Iroh’s eyes narrowed and he fought down the snarl that rose within him. “Even if you had been inclined to want him, I think you would have done better not to keep him,” he said, keeping his voice even with great effort. Their bond was too new for him to tolerate talk like that, although he refused to let himself be ruled by his alpha instincts.

Mai nodded as he spoke, though, easing some of the possessiveness within him. “You’re absolutely right,” she agreed. “Zuko needs more than I ever could have offered him. I would have done my best, but he seems… he seems very fragile after what Azula did, and while I’m pleased that he feels like he can be fragile, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for him.”

“That’s a mature assessment of of the situation, and wise for you to realize.” Iroh glanced down at Zuko when he made a small, discontented noise and shifted position. He made sure that he hadn’t woken up before continuing with, “I would appreciate it if you would inform your parents that I’ve successfully bonded with Zuko and am not even remotely willing to entertain any more letters from them complaining about my taking him as my omega.”

Mai stilled in her seat, not even appearing to breathe for a long minute. Then, quietly and carefully, she said, “I’ll make sure that they get the message.”

Iroh looked down at Zuko once more and carefully smoothed some of his hair back from his face, baring the bandages that covered his bonding bite. “This is very serious, Mai,” he said softly. “Your parents… I’m hearing some rumors that have me concerned. I don’t want to have to hurt them, but you must understand, if they continue down the road they’re currently travelling on, I won’t have a choice.”

“What are my parents doing?” Mai’s voice was even, but Iroh didn’t miss the slight edge to it.

“According to the rumors that I’m hearing, courting treason,” Iroh responded. “Your father seems to be sowing discord with the intention of taking Zuko as his own. Or for you, but either way, if the group he’s been meeting with attacks, I will have to handle it with all the force at my disposal.”

Mai shivered, visibly. “I understand,” she said, and Iroh knew that she did.

He didn’t want to step in. It was one of the reasons he’d never wanted to be the Fire Lord, not after Lu Ten’s death. He didn’t have the stomach for violence that he’d once had, but… but if he was moving in defense of Zuko, he would move mountains.

“I’m glad,” he said simply. Zuko stirred in his lap again, making another noise of discontent, and Iroh wondered what he was reacting to. Was it the presence of another alpha, Mai, or still the scent of the omega who’d visited him last night?

“Did you need anything else?” Mai asked. Her fingers were tapping out a rapid beat on her knees, her eyes narrowed.

“No,” Iroh said. He didn’t look back up at her, captivated as he was by Zuko’s fitful squirming on the couch. It wasn’t going to be long before he woke up, and in the interest of encouraging his friendships, he asked, “Would you like to stay and speak with Zuko?”

Mai hesitated, then said, “I think not now. But let him know that I asked after him?”

“Of course,” Iroh murmured. “He’s doing better, but he’s a long way from okay.”

Mai stood, the motion smooth and graceful. “Thank you, Fire Lord Iroh.” She bowed to him once more, then took her leave from the room just in time for Zuko’s golden eyes to flutter open.

Zuko blinked up at him, his eyes bleary and confused. “I thought I heard Mai,” he muttered, his words slow with sleep. “Was she here?”

“She was,” Iroh murmured, and smoothed a hand over Zuko’s hair once more. “I was visiting with her for a more formal discussion than we’ve had before, and she wanted to go and handle the issues in question sooner rather than later.”

Zuko blinked, awareness slowly returning to his eyes. “What issues?” he asked. He sat up and then leaned against Iroh, letting all of his weight fall against Iroh’s writing arm.

Not that Iroh particularly minded, since he’d finished a good deal of his paperwork while Zuko had been asleep. “It has to do with the omega who visited me last night,” he said vaguely. “And the letter that her parents sent to me complaining about her not getting a chance to court you.”

Zuko wrinkled his nose at that. “I can’t imagine she took that second bit well,” he said. His stomach rumbled and he flushed. “Did I sleep through breakfast?”

“You did,” Iroh said. He tilted Zuko’s head up and pressed a quick, careful kiss to Zuko’s lips, and was rewarded with his nephew blushing even more. “I thought that perhaps sleep might be more important after the activity that we engaged in last night.”

He had the pleasure of watching as Zuko’s hand flew to his bonding mark, his cheeks flushing even further. “We bonded last night,” Zuko said, like it was just dawning on him.

Iroh would have been worried, but there was a smile, silly and sweet, spreading over Zuko’s face. “We did,” he agreed. He kissed him again, still soft, but lingering this time, and coaxing Zuko’s lips to open for him. They parted like petals, and Zuko leaned in with a small, happy noise. “Would you like to celebrate tonight?” he asked, once they’d separated.

Zuko nodded, dropping his eyes shyly. “I’d like that a lot,” he whispered.

“Good,” Iroh said. Part of the paperwork he’d been doing earlier in the morning had been setting up a special meal for the two of them, followed by a surprise that he hoped Zuko would enjoy. It was considered something of a taboo, what Iroh had in mind, and there was a chance that Zuko would dislike it, but Iroh wanted to give him the opportunity.

As far as he knew, it was something that Zuko had never indulged in.

Zuko leaned against his shoulder, still smiling. “Thank you for taking such good care of me,” he said, the words hesitant. As he spoke, his stomach growled again.

Iroh laughed, keeping the sound gentle so that Zuko wouldn’t think that he was laughing at him. “I can’t be taking good care of you if I’m leaving you hungry,” he teased. He pulled away from Zuko and helped him to his feet. “Why don’t we head to the kitchens and get some lunch for you, to hold you over for the amazing celebration I’ve got planned for tonight?”

Zuko grinned and nestled closer to him once he was standing, getting Iroh to wrap an arm around his shoulders. “That sounds good.”

It did Iroh’s heart good to see his nephew demanding the physical affection he so craved, and he didn’t hesitate to indulge every request made of him. Zuko had gone without affection for so long, had been so hardened by his years pretending to be an alpha, searching for the Avatar…

This could only be for the good, that he was responding so well to his own needs. Iroh just hoped that it wasn’t too much, too soon for Zuko, and that it wasn’t leading to a terrible crash.

ooOOooOOoo

Mai tried not to lose her temper as she stormed away from Iroh’s rooms. What the hell were her parents thinking? Going against Iroh, of all people. Did they think he was old and fragile, and could therefore be taken down by them? Had they lost their minds?

“Mai, don’t do anything foolish!” Ty Lee scrambled beside her, trying to keep up.

Mai whirled and let out a low, frustrated growl at Ty Lee before she could bring herself under control. “My family,” she hissed, “Is made up of idiots. They’re going to get themselves killed, and for what? For an omega who’s perfectly happy where he is? It’s not worth it!”

Ty Lee held up her hand. “Calm down,” she said soothingly. Her hands came to rest on Mai’s shoulders, where she rubbed gently. “I get it, you’re upset. I’d be furious if my parents were trying anything, especially if they were trying it against my ex-boyfriend, who was in a very vulnerable state and who I still had feelings for.”

Mai’s eyes narrowed and she shrugged off Ty Lee’s hands. “I don’t have feelings for Zuko,” she said dismissively. She started walking once more, though there was much less storm in her step than there had been.

“Of course you don’t,” Ty Lee said with a knowing little laugh. “You don’t still think of him as one of your best friends, then?”

Mai stopped walking once more and turned on Ty Lee again. “I think of him as someone I can protect,” she bit out. “Someone who needs protecting, now, given his delicate state.”

“And?” Ty Lee sang, drawing the word out obnoxiously.

“And I think of him like a brother now!” Mai snapped. She spun around again and started to walk. “Are you happy that you got me to admit it? Is that what you wanted?”

“What I want,” Ty Lee said, and grabbed her wrist. Mai froze. “What I want is for you to be happy, Mai, and for you to understand where your emotions for Zuko are taking you. That’s what I want.”

Mai sighed and forced some of the tension to drain from her frame. “You’re a good friend, Ty Lee,” she said tiredly. “And I appreciate your concern. But I have to handle my family before I can worry about my emotions over Zuko. Because if I don’t, Iroh will, and I know that neither of us want to see that.”

She started walking once more, and this time, Ty Lee didn’t stop her. But she didn’t follow her, either.

ooOOooOOoo

“Good friend,” Ty Lee muttered once Mai was out of earshot.

She kicked at the wall, then yelped when she stubbed her toe against it. “Stupid wall,” she growled. She kicked it again for good measure, and then immediately regretted it. “Damn it!”

“Everything okay?”

Ty Lee froze, her eyes widening. She turned, and found herself face to face with the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. What was her name again? Was it… “Suki!” She pasted a bright smile on her face. “Everything’s good,” she chirped.

Suki raised an eyebrow at her. “If you say so,” she said. She glanced at Ty Lee’s foot, which was still midair. “It’s just that I haven’t seen too many people in good moods attacking walls, that’s all.”

Ty Lee groaned and fell back, letting her head thump against the wall. It wasn’t a gentle thump, either, and her head immediately began to throb. “It’s just personal stuff,” she said with a small sigh. A good friend. She was a good friend. She tried really hard to be, even when she wasn’t really all that interested in just friendship with Mai.

But Mai was probably looking for someone like Zuko had been pretending to be, and Ty Lee was many things, but bitter and cynical and occasionally mean weren’t any of them. The sooner she accepted that Mai was likely uninterested in her, the better off she would be.

Besides, she didn’t even think that Mai was interested in girls in that way. Then again, she’d never thought Mai was interested in anyone but Zuko, either. Of course, she still had yet to be proven wrong…

Now her head hurt and she was confused, and Suki was still watching her with something like concern in her eyes. “I’m good!” she chirped. She pushed away from the wall and beamed as brightly as she could at Suki.

Suki, however, was apparently far too good at seeing through optimistic disguises. She took Ty Lee by the arm and said firmly, “Katara and I were going to go check out a spa nearby. Why don’t you come join us? You look like you could use some ladies only time.”

Ty Lee hesitated, glancing after Mai. She might need her support. But… on the other hand… She linked arms with Suki and forced her thoughts away from Mai. “I could use a distraction,” she chirped, and let herself be steered away. “Toph didn’t want to come?”

Suki laughed. “Toph only likes girly things like spa days on very rare occasions,” she replied. “And in this instance, she’d talked Aang into working on his metalbending, and wasn’t interested at all.”

“And you’re sure that Katara won’t mind?” Ty Lee asked. She didn’t want to put herself where she wasn’t welcome. She was starting to feel like that was a common theme for her, and didn’t want to continue it while she was trying to relax.

“I’m sure,” Suki said firmly. She continued to tow Ty Lee along, and Ty Lee finally gave in with good grace.

A spa day sounded like a good idea, like the best one she could think of at the moment. She needed a bit of relaxation.

ooOOooOOoo

Azula didn’t know who the person in the cloak was that was standing outside of her cell, and frankly, she didn’t care. She just knew that whoever it was had a plan that would get her soft, bloated old uncle off of her throne, and her back on it. That would get her ugly, arrogant uncle off of her omega, and would bring Zuko back under her control, where he belonged.

Oh, that wasn’t what he thought he was doing, of course. Men were always so transparent when it came to their manipulations and maneuverings; it really was pathetic. Didn’t anyone see more than one step ahead of their current circumstances?

“Your plan is a good one,” she said. It wasn’t, not for what he intended, but it would work perfectly for Azula. “All you need to do is get me out of here, and I’ll be happy to help you. It would be an honor to challenge Iroh to an Agni Kai for both the throne and my omega.”

His intention was, of course, to double cross her and have her killed as soon as she won the battle, potentially in another Agni Kai. Whoever he was, he wasn’t very bright if that was what he was planning; the only time Azula had ever been defeated had been when that waterbending bitch, Katara, had frozen her in place.

Treachery like that had no place in an Agni Kai, and treachery like this man was planning had no place in the Fire Nation.

That was okay. Azula wasn’t above using him to get what she needed, and then discarding him shortly thereafter. And by shortly, she meant immediately, because she wouldn’t tolerate traitors living in her empire.

“Then it’s decided,” the man said, and Azula was almost positive that she recognized his voice. “You’ll duel Iroh and retake the throne just as soon as we can get you out of here.”

Azula nodded and smiled. “Done,” she said. She twitched her shoulders in his general direction. “I’d offer to shake your hand, but as you can see, I’m a bit tied up at the moment.”

And to think, the traitor didn’t even have the courtesy to laugh at her pun. He really was irredeemable. She would look forward to frying him just as soon as he betrayed her, once she was out of this damned cage.

And then she would have Zuko all to herself again. It had been so much fun, listening to the omega scream as she’d rutted into him. She couldn’t wait to have a chance to do it again, while he wasn’t in heat. He’d scream so much more that way…


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some pretty crappy ideas expressed about the nature of sexual assault early in this chapter. The Author Anon would like everyone to know that I do not agree with anything Ukano says with regards to that.

“Have you lost your mind?”  Mai didn’t even knock before entering her father’s study, so great was her ire.  She just stormed in, and was rewarded with a blank look of surprise on her father’s face.  “Seriously, what were you thinking?”

 

Ukano regained his metaphorical footing and offered her a politely confused smile.  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Mai.”  He gestured at the seat across from his own.  “Won’t you sit down, and perhaps we can discuss the problem like reasonable adults?”

 

Like reasonable… just who did he think she was?  Mai was never anything less than reasonable, not even when she was at her most angry.  Still, even though she wasn’t particularly inclined to do as he requested, she chose to settle in the seat anyway.  “I’m talking about the letter you set to the Fire Lord, complaining about Zuko’s new position on my behalf.”

 

Her father’s eyes widened ever so slightly, then immediately softened.  “Mai, darling, I was only acting in your best interests,” he said soothingly.  “I know how much you loved Zuko, and how hurt you would be by having him snatched out from under your nose, even in his much lowered circumstances.”

 

Mai’s eyes narrowed.  “Much lowered?” she repeated, the words icy.  “Would you care to clarify, father?”

 

Ukano’s face smoothed into something more neutral.  “Why, he’s pregnant, of course, and I doubt that you’re the other parent.  You would be stuck raising some other alpha’s brat.”

 

Mai leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest so that she didn’t do something stupid, like fling something sharp and deadly in Ukano’s direction.  “You think that I would care about something like that?  That I would care that Zuko was… was assaulted when he was at his most vulnerable?”

 

The look that Ukano sent her was almost pitying.  “So, you really think that someone assaulted him,” he said.  He shook his head.  “I suppose you’re too young to understand, really, and you’ve never been that attached to being an alpha.  But Mai, you cannot rape an omega, not when they’re in heat.  They’re too eager to be knotted, they’ll allow just about anyone to mount them.”

 

Mai gritted her teeth against the words that wanted to come out, the spew of invectives against her father and his stupid, outdated attitudes about what it meant to consent.  Instead, she looked away.  “I’m not having this conversation with you.”

 

“It’s something you’ll have to understand when you finally have an omega of your own,” Ukano pointed out, like he was trying to impart some harsh truth to her.

 

In his mind, Mai mused, he probably was.  “If I ever have an omega of my own, not that I ever intend to, I wouldn’t blame him or her if he or she was trapped somewhere in the midst of their heat and someone raped them.”

 

Her father reared back like he’d been slapped.  “I just explained to you—”

 

“If someone got me very, very drunk,” Mai interrupted, looking back at her father with hard eyes.  Her fists were clenched in an effort to keep herself from murdering her father, because she knew she would regret it if she did.  “If someone got me drunk enough that I couldn’t fight them off, wouldn’t you say that was rape?”

 

“That’s different,” Ukano said patiently.  “You’re not an omega, and you wouldn’t be in heat.  I’m telling you, it’s impossible to rape an omega because they’re willing when they’re in heat.  Perhaps if Zuko had not been in heat when he became pregnant, but—”

 

“I’m done with this conversation.”  Mai stood up.  “I didn’t come in here to debate whether or not Zuko was sexually assaulted, because that isn’t the point.  The point is that I’m not interested in having him as my omega, I’m not interested in your interfering on my behalf with Fire Lord Iroh, and you should be aware that he is well aware of whatever activities you’re up to that might border on treason.  So stop it, before he is forced to respond in a way that none of us will like.”

 

She didn’t wait to hear her father’s response beyond his startled sputtering.  Instead, she turned on her heel and stalked out of his office.  She brushed past her mother as she went, not even stopping to say hello.  She had to get out of there before she did something truly foolish, like telling them both what idiots they were.

 

“It’s too late, Mai!” she heard her father calling after her.  “Plans have been set in motion, and I’m powerless to stop them!”

 

She stopped and closed her eyes against the pain those words brought.  Too late.  It would be so easy to turn around, to stab her father in the heart and remove the problem before it could truly become one, but…

 

But Mai couldn’t bring herself to do it.  Instead, she forced herself to start walking, putting one foot in front of the other.  Her father would bring ruin down on their family, and maybe Mai couldn’t bring herself to stop him, but she definitely wasn’t going to help him.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

“Look who I found when I was on my way to meet you,” Suki said from the doorway.

 

Katara cracked an eye open and found herself looking at an awkward, sad looking Ty Lee.  The expression seemed strange on the girl’s normally smiling face, so she offered her a welcoming smile.  “Come to relax with us?” she asked.  She didn’t move from the deliciously warm water of the tub she’d been placed in.  It felt like her muscles were melting, and she was so pleased with that.

 

“If I can,” Ty Lee said with a small shrug.

 

“Well, standing out there isn’t going to help.”  Katara gestured lazily at the water.  “There’s plenty of room, girls.”

 

She closed her eyes again, and eventually heard the sound of two people joining her in the tub, felt the ripples in the water.  She sighed and sunk further under, letting the water come up over her shoulders and just to her chin.  Suki let out a hum of contentment, but Ty Lee was completely silent.

 

Katara opened her eyes all the way to study the acrobat.  She was staring off into the distance, the sad expression on her face not fading at all.  Katara nudged her with her toe.  “Want to talk about it?” she asked.

 

Ty Lee just shrugged.  “There’s not much to talk about.”  She closed her eyes and blanked her expression, and when she opened them, there was a fake, large smile on her face.  “Everything’s good,” she chirped, and settled into the water.

 

Suki cracked open an eye to glare at her.  “Don’t do that,” Suki said.  She nudged her with her shoulder.  “You’re allowed to not be happy, you know.”

 

The expression faded, and Ty Lee looked down into the water, like it held all the answers in the world.  Katara was familiar with that sort of expression, because she’d worn it frequently during her travels with Aang.  “Whatever it is, Suki and I aren’t going to judge you for it,” she offered.

 

Maybe once they’d been enemies, but Katara had found that she genuinely liked the bubbly gymnast.  Seeing her upset…  Katara hated seeing her friends upset, whether they were particularly close or not.

 

It wasn’t until after they’d had facials, after they’d had manicures, and once they were soaking in the hot bath again, that Ty Lee said quietly, “I don’t know how to tell someone that I love them.”  She sounded lost.  “If I tell them, there’s a chance that I’ll lose them forever.  Because I don’t think they like me like that.”

 

Katara’s eyes narrowed as she tried to work out who Ty Lee might be talking about.  There were only a handful of options, and given that she was playing the pronoun game…  “I think the only way you’re going to ever find out how Mai feels about anything is to ask her directly,” she said gently.  “Mai plays too many things too close to her chest to ever be able to really guess at how she’s feeling.”

 

Ty Lee jumped, her face going stricken. Then she shook her head and laughed, a bit self-deprecatingly.  “That obvious, huh?”

 

Suki shrugged.  “You were playing the pronoun game,” the other girl said.  “I think Katara and I both picked up on that.  But she’s one of your best friends!  If anyone was going to take it well, I think Mai would.”

 

“She doesn’t seem to be the type who would care about something like that if she doesn’t return your feelings,” Katara pointed out.  “She’s too logical, I think.  And if you don’t tell her, you’ll never know.”

 

Ty Lee groaned.  “I know,” she said.  She shoved her face in her hands, then peeked out at Suki and Katara from between her fingers.  “You really think that she won’t mind if she doesn’t return my feelings?”

 

Honestly, Katara couldn’t imagine that she would, but then, she couldn’t imagine that anyone would actually like Mai to begin with.  Not that she had a problem with the cold-hearted girl now that they were on the same side, but she was just… frigid seemed the only word to describe her.  “I can’t see how she would,” was all that she said.

 

She and Suki exchanged a glance that placed them clearly on the same page.

 

Ty Lee didn’t catch it, or didn’t care if she did.  She drew in a deep breath and nodded.  As they got out of the water, dried off, and got dressed in their street clothes once more, the gymnast nodded again, determination on her face instead of the resigned sorrow that had been there.  “I’m gonna tell her,” she said clearly.  “Right now.  As soon as I find her.”

 

She hesitated, then glanced at Katara and Suki almost shyly.  “Thank you both very much.”  She dashed in, hugged them both, then darted away, leaving Katara and Suki both startled in her wake.

 

Katara glanced at Suki, and, upon seeing the absolute confusion on her face, let out a small giggle.  Suki glanced back at her at the sound, then her lips spread into a grin and she let out a small laugh as well.  They headed back to the palace arm in arm, much more relaxed than they’d been at the start of the day.

 

Katara just hoped that everything worked out well for Ty Lee.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

The dinner that Zuko shared with Iroh was lovely, even if Zuko did have trouble meeting his Uncle’s eyes for the majority of it.  He was too embarrassed to be kneeling at his side, even if it was, technically his place.  He did enjoy it, though, being hand fed by Iroh, taking each piece of food directly from his fingers rather than from a utensil.  That part was very, very nice.

 

After dessert, a sponge cake soaked in sweet fruit and honey, Zuko was pulled into a soft, tender kiss.  Uncle tasted like tea, and like the cake they’d just shared.  He let out a small sigh and his eyes fluttered closed, heat blooming inside of him at the touch of their lips.  He was sure that wasn’t Iroh’s intention, but it still happened.

 

When Iroh pulled back, he asked, “Did you enjoy dinner?” His voice was husky, and when Zuko looked at him, he found that Iroh’s eyes had gone dark with desire.

 

Maybe it had been his intention, after all.  “I did,” Zuko said, his own voice a little hoarse.  “It was very nice, very… very romantic.”  He stumbled over the last word, not sure how Iroh would take it.  For all that he was far more secure in their relationship, for all that he was adjusting to the strange new rules that governed his existence as an omega rather than an alpha, he still wasn’t entirely sure of how Iroh was handling it.

 

But Iroh just beamed at him.  “I’m so glad,” he murmured, and drew Zuko into another kiss.

 

Zuko sighed and leaned into it, parting his lips for Iroh’s tongue to sweep in and claim him once more.  But Iroh didn’t follow the invitation.  Instead, he parted his own lips, and then used his tongue to coax Zuko into exploring his own mouth.  It was different, but Zuko enjoyed it just as much.

 

When they parted, his cheeks were flushed and his heart was pounding.  He swayed into Iroh, his breath coming in tiny pants.  “Iroh,” he gasped out, desire making his blood run hot.  “Please?”

 

“I was thinking we might try something different,” Iroh murmured.  He stroked his fingers through Zuko’s hair and Zuko looked up at him, knowing that his expression was needy, maybe even desperate.  It should have embarrassed him, but Iroh was his alpha, and had to know exactly what Zuko needed or he wouldn’t be able to take care of him.  “Do you feel up to it?”

 

Zuko wasn’t sure what he meant, but he nodded anyway.  He would try anything.  “Does that mean you aren’t going to… to knot me tonight?”  He stumbled over the word, his cheeks flushing even further.  He was still a bit sore from last night, so it wasn’t like he minded it if Iroh wasn’t going to.  But it had been very, very nice, and he did want it to happen again.

 

“I wasn’t planning to,” Iroh responded.  He kissed Zuko again, once more coaxing him into taking control of the kiss.  This time, Zuko knew what he wanted and took over slightly faster, a bit excited to have the opportunity.

 

Omegas, he knew, were never meant to be in control, not sexually or any other way.  That Iroh was trusting him with this, even if it was just a kiss, was intoxicating.

 

“I thought,” Iroh murmured as they parted once more, “That perhaps you might like the chance to take me.”  He pressed his forehead against Zuko’s and stared deeply into his eyes.

 

Zuko’s heart almost stopped.  “You… you’d let me?” he asked, his voice cracking.  It was embarrassing how very hard he got at just the idea of taking Iroh.  That was… nobody let… no alpha ever…  “I thought that alphas didn’t… didn’t…”  He stopped and broke Iroh’s gaze, burying his head in Iroh’s shoulder.  He was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of it, even if he really, really wanted to.

 

“Most don’t,” Iroh agreed.  Zuko felt his hands on his back, stroking and soothing.  Until one of them slipped under his shirt, stroking gently along his back, along the spine.  It felt like Iroh was leaving a trail of fire, and Zuko let out a small hiss and arched his back into the touch.  “But I’m not most alphas.  Is it something you’re interested in trying?”

 

“Please?” Zuko repeated, his cheeks heating terribly.  He leaned up for another kiss, and was indulged, and this time Iroh took a bit more control, perhaps sensing that Zuko needed him to because of how overwhelmed he was feeling.

 

Iroh led him to the bedroom, where he stripped Zuko out of his clothes, slowly and gently, then pressed him down onto the bed.  Zuko didn’t protest, and stared up at Iroh and hoped that his desire wasn’t as evident as he thought it was.  

 

“I thought you might like to try it,” Iroh murmured.  He stripped out of his own clothes, then came to settle beside Zuko on the bed.  He kissed him slowly, gently, and stroked a hand over Zuko’s chest as he did so.

 

Zuko whined into the touch, especially when Iroh’s hand slid lower, to grip at Zuko’s embarrassingly hard erection.  “Uncle,” he gasped out, and thrust helplessly into Iroh’s grip.  It was slick with something, making Zuko’s thrusting all the more easy.  He thrust again, helplessly, and bit his lip to keep the moans that wanted to from escaping his lips.

 

Then Iroh pulled his hand away, and Zuko let out a small, desperate cry.  “Not fair,” he gasped.  He thrust against the air, helpless in his desire.  He could feel his own slick dripping from him, signalling his readiness to be mounted.

 

Iroh didn’t indulge him, but instead rolled onto his back, pulling Zuko on top of him.  “If you need more, then take it,” he suggested, and Zuko couldn’t be sure, but he thought that maybe Iroh wanted it as much as Zuko did.

 

Zuko shifted slightly, and Iroh parted his legs to accommodate him.  When Zuko reached hesitantly between his legs, to touch the hole that was going to welcome him, he was startled to find it already loose and slick.  “I thought that alphas didn’t—”  He stopped, embarrassed.  These weren’t things that people tended to talk about, even in bed.

 

“We don’t,” Iroh said with a small smile.  “But I got myself ready earlier.  I thought it might be something you’d at least like to try.”

 

Zuko flushed, but nodded.  He positioned himself, and slid in carefully, not wanting to hurt Iroh in his eagerness.  It was harder than he would have thought, keeping himself moving slowly.  Iroh was warm and slick and tight around him, and he found himself thrusting uncontrollably.  He liked it, but it wasn’t… his own body felt so empty, and he wanted…

 

But it was good, and he found his completion, and then stroked Iroh until he found his own as well.  And then, after Iroh had cleaned them both even though Zuko thought it should have been his job, he cuddled close to his alpha and sighed when Iroh pressed a kiss to the bandage that still covered his bonding mark.

 

“How was it?” Iroh asked as his fingers ran idly along Zuko’s back and through his hair.

 

Zuko shrugged and snuggled closer, savoring the gentle touches.  “It wasn’t awful,” he said honestly.  “But I don’t know that it was my favorite way to be with you.”  Even though he was still a bit sore from it, Zuko honestly thought that he preferred to be knotted over being in control in bed.

 

“That’s fine,” Iroh murmured.  He kissed Zuko’s forehead, and Zuko sighed and leaned into the touch.  “I wanted to give you the opportunity to decide that for yourself,” he continued.

 

“Thank you,” Zuko whispered.  Then he buried his head in Iroh’s shoulder, and was glad when Iroh just chuckled softly and didn’t ask him any other questions for the night.  “G’night,” he said sleepily, just before he drifted off to sleep.

 

Iroh’s whispered, “Sleep well, dearest,” followed him down into sleep’s warm embrace.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

It was almost midnight when Ty Lee found Mai, sitting in the square where Iroh had announced that he was taking Zuko as his mate.  Mai was sitting in the middle of the square on the ground, heedless of the dirt, staring at the palace with tired eyes.

 

Ty Lee settled next to her and sat in silence by her side.  She wanted to speak, to follow through with her resolve to tell Mai of her feelings, but the time just didn’t seem right.  Mai was too quiet, even for her, too pensive.  Something was wrong, and Ty Lee wanted to be there for her friend.

 

Maybe the talk with her father hadn’t gone well?

 

“Father won’t back down from his plans,” Mai said into the silence, her voice shaking a little.  “He’s going to get himself killed, because I don’t think Iroh is going to hold back if they’re really stupid enough to challenge him for Zuko.”

 

Ty Lee let out a shaky sigh and hugged her friend.  “Maybe so,” she said.  She didn’t have anything more comforting to say.  Mai’s father was proving to be more ambitious than was healthy, and she wasn’t about to lie to her friend and give her fake confidence that things were going to be okay.

 

Not when it was very likely that Ukano was going to get himself killed.

 

“What am I going to do if they get themselves killed?” Mai asked.  She looked down at the ground.  “I know that I’ve never… that we’ve never really seen eye to eye, but they’re the only family I’ve got.  What will I do without them?”

 

“I’ll be your family,” Ty Lee said, the words escaping her before she could stop them.

 

Mai turned to look at her.  “What?”  There was genuine confusion on Mai’s face, like she’d never considered the option.

 

That… sort of hurt, because Ty Lee had been under the impression that she and Mai were close enough to count as family.  But even so, she took all the courage she had in her, a not inconsiderable amount, and leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Mai’s lips.  Then she pulled back and looked down, blushing terribly.

 

Mai let out a sound that could only be described as a startled squeak, a sound that Ty Lee had honestly never expected from her.  There was a moment of silence, then Mai cleared her throat.  “I didn’t know you felt that way about me,” she said awkwardly.

 

“Well, I do,” Ty Lee said.  She didn’t look back up.

 

“Well…  okay then.”  Mai shifted, and Ty Lee was surprised to feel her fingers tangling with her own.  “I…  I like you too.”

 

Ty Lee looked up at her, finally, to see a faint blush streaking across Mai’s face.  She smiled at the sight, then leaned in for a much longer, more lingering kiss.  “Okay then,” she said, echoing Mai.  “I’m glad.”  She shifted closer and let her head rest against Mai’s shoulder, and smiled to feel Mai’s fingers in her ponytail.  “And no matter what, we’ll have each other, right?”

 

There was a brief hesitation, then Mai nodded.  “Absolutely,” she said.

 

Ty Lee knew it wasn’t quite the same, that Mai would mourn terribly if Ukano really did get her family killed, but she would be there to support her every step of the way if it came to that.  She really, really hoped that it didn’t, though.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

In the end, Azula’s jail cell wasn’t that hard to deal with, as long as the person doing the work was outside.  It was the work of moments to free her from her cell, and she smiled to thank the fools who had done it.  They really thought she was going to serve their agenda?

 

Azula was no one’s pawn, as they were soon going to find out.  She stepped into the dawn’s light and smiled to feel its heat on her skin for the first time in months.

 

“You’ll challenge the current Fire Lord to an Agni Kai, yes?” the hooded man said beside her, urgently.

 

Azula couldn’t be certain, because she rarely bothered to remember the people beneath her, but she was almost positive that the hooded man was, in fact, Mai’s idiot of a father.  Poor Mai.  She was going to be devastated by her father’s treachery.

 

“Of course I am, Ukano,” she said cheerfully, and was rewarded by a flinch and an aborted response to the name.  Score one for her.

 

“H-how much time do you need to prepare for the duel?” Ukano stammered, clearly thrown by her recognition of him.

 

Azula turned to study him.  “Time?” she echoed, a little incredulously.  “How much time do you want to give my idiot of an Uncle to prepare?”  She launched into a kata, sending a blast of her fire out in a sweeping arch, just singing one side of Ukano’s hood.  “I don’t need any time.  I’ll challenge him tonight.”

 

“The Fire Lord is hosting a banquet tonight,” Ukano said slowly.  “If you intend to make your challenge public, there would be a good chance to do it.”

 

Azula smiled, baring her teeth.  “That sounds like the best possible way to levy a challenge against my fat, lazy, slob of an uncle,” she said coolly.  “And then I’ll make him regret ever touching what’s mine.”

 

Zuko would be hers again, and he would regret ever allowing that thieving bastard to touch him, to mount him.  He was _ hers _ , and the sooner he remembered that, the better off everyone would be.


	9. Chapter 9

“I’m not ready for tonight’s dinner,” Zuko muttered as he struggled into the clothes Katara had picked for him to try on.

 

Aang, who was glowering at his own outfit, stopped in the process of dressing himself, the robes he was putting on half-untied. “Why not?” he asked. “You did fine during the announcement; you were just a little tense. And isn’t this dinner supposed to be like a celebration?”

 

It was supposed to be. It was always a good thing when an omega finally bonded, but… but Zuko somehow didn’t think that this dinner was going to go as well as the few others he’d gone to in the past. Iroh seemed tense, and that alone was enough to make him nervous.

 

Not that Zuko could think of anything that would be likely to happen, because surely no one would be foolish enough to challenge his Uncle? They were bonded, and now there was nothing to do about it.

 

“It is,” he said finally. “And I think I’m just worrying over nothing.”

 

Aang nodded along with his words. “I hear that’s a thing that omegas tend to be good at, worrying over everything under the sun.”

 

Zuko’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying, Aang?” he asked, his voice lowering. “Are you saying that, because I’m an omega, you think that I’m more inclined to—”

 

“That’s not what I’m saying!” Aang shouted, waving his hands frantically and tripping over himself to backpedal. “That’s not what I’m trying to say, anyway. I didn’t mean that. I just meant that, biologically speaking—”

 

“Quit while you’re ahead,” Zuko interrupted. 

 

“Anyway, what I was trying to say before we got sidetracked into… whatever just happened, is that the dinner is going to go fine. It’s a celebration, and you’re going to have all of us there. So there won’t be any problems or anything, and if there are, we can shut them down.” Aang beamed at Zuko, irrepressibly optimistic as always.

 

Zuko couldn’t help but smile back, the expression a little shaky. “I’m glad you’ll all be there,” he said quietly. “It feels right, having my friends there with me when we celebrate this. And then he finished putting on the outfit in question and sighed. “I’m not coming out in this!” he yelled out to the group waiting outside of the room.

 

He was answered by Katara’s gleeful laughter. “Why, Zuko?” she called back. “Is something the matter with the outfit?”

 

“It’s too bright!” He wrinkled his nose and started to take it off. He should have vetoed it when he’d first seen it, but he’d thought it wouldn’t hurt to try the piece of clothing on. Unfortunately, it had hurt. His dignity might never recover, and only Aang had seen him in the outfit.

 

“What if I’d like to see you in it?”

 

Zuko’s eyes widened and he peeked out of the fitting room. He didn’t know when Iroh had arrived, but he was definitely sitting out there with Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph. “I don’t want to come out like this,” Zuko said finally, glaring at his alpha. “It’s too bright. I don’t like the colors.”

 

Iroh opened his mouth, possibly to protest, and Zuko narrowed his eyes at him. Iroh raised an eyebrow back, but nodded. “Okay, then. But you do need a new outfit for tonight’s dinner, and that’s non-negotiable. We’ll be going to see your tailor after this, and hopefully he’ll have something that can be adjusted for you in time.”

 

Zuko groaned. He hated the tailor. He hated everything. He slunk back into the dressing room, scowling the whole time, and got back into his regular clothes, all before Aang had figured out how to knot the robes Katara wanted him to try.

 

When Zuko ducked out of the room, Aang still hadn’t figured out that he had the thing on backwards.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

By the time dinner came around, Zuko was almost relaxed enough to enjoy himself. Iroh had spent the day with him, mostly, after they’d visited the tailor, and Zuko hadn’t even had a chance to get too stressed, because the tailor had apparently already been working on something for the occasion. It made the visit as low in frustration as possible, and Zuko appreciated that.

 

The food served was absolutely delicious, and all of it was served in finger-sizes, so that Iroh could hand feed Zuko, as was tradition. It was meant to imply that the alpha could now take care of the omega, and it was a tradition that some omegas tended to balk at, calling it demeaning. Zuko wasn’t one of them. He enjoyed being hand fed, and wondered if there was a way he could ask for it to happen again without making things awkward between himself and Iroh.

 

And then he thought he might not have to, judging by the indulgent way that Iroh watched him eat. In a lull between courses, Iroh asked softly, “Is it as nerve wracking as you thought it might be, tonight?”

 

Zuko smiled at him and ducked his head, ignoring the weight of the dozens of gazes on him. “Not at all,” he said quietly. His voice carried anyway, and he realized that everyone was listening to him. It made his cheeks heat, and he buried his head in Iroh’s shoulder.

 

He would have been a terrible Fire Lord. He hated it when people gave him their undivided attention. It was the one thing that Azula had always wanted, and he’d never understood it. People’s eyes felt so heavy when they were staring at him…

 

Iroh’s hand smoothed its way through his hair, and Zuko wondered if he should pull back. Wondered if it was appropriate for him to be half-sitting in Iroh’s lap. “Should I move?” he made himself ask, even though there was nothing he wanted to do less.

 

“You don’t have to,” Iroh murmured. He stroked Zuko’s hair again. “You aren’t being inappropriate, if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

 

Zuko nodded against his shoulder, but drew in a deep breath and forced himself to pull back anyway. “Thanks,” he said. He smiled, and conversation stopped again at the expression. What, hadn’t they seen an omega smile before? Zuko fought down the urge to ask them that very question with a sip of tea.

 

Aang poked him with a toe under the table. “You okay?” the Avatar asked quietly. He didn’t drop the smile from his face, looking for all the world like an oblivious child.

 

“I’m good,” Zuko said honestly. This was much less trouble than dinners had been when he’d been younger. He was allowed to snuggle with Iroh if he wanted, and nobody would dare say a word to him about it. And nobody expected him to be strong and silent, because he was an omega, and those weren’t two traits commonly associated with being omega.

 

The next course was brought out, and Iroh pressed a bite of food to Zuko’s lips. Zuko took it, chewed, and swallowed, just in time for another hush to begin to fall over the room, radiating out from the entrance.

 

This one was very different, of an almost anticipatory nature, and when Zuko looked up, his heart dropped. He was looking into Azula’s eyes from across the banquet hall, and she was staring right back at him, her whole body radiating possessiveness.

 

He stood up, stumbling back, only to be steadied by Iroh’s hand on his hip, drawing him in closer to him. “Who let you out of your cell, Azula?”

 

Azula just tossed her hair. “That doesn’t matter,” she said, and the sound of her voice sent shivers of revulsion down Zuko’s spine. He hid his head in Iroh’s shoulder again, hating the way that he trembled in front of her. “I’ve come to take back what’s mine, Uncle.”

 

“There is nothing here that belongs to you,” Iroh said coldly. “You should go back to your cell quietly, Azula, or I don’t think you’ll like the results.”

 

Azula laughed, the sound bright and clear and on the edge of madness. “Go back to my cell, old man? I challenge you for everything you stole from me! An Agni Kai, you and me, Uncle. To the death!”

 

Iroh could have refused. There was no honor to be lost in refusing a convicted madwoman, and Zuko prayed that he would take that route out. That he would have her dragged back to her cell so that she couldn’t hurt either of them again, but…

 

“I accept,” Iroh said coldly. “One hour, Azula, and we’ll do battle.” 

 

No. No, he couldn’t. He promised Zuko that he would take care of him, that he would… and now… and now Azula was going to kill him, and Zuko would have to watch.

 

His trembling worsened, and he tried his hardest to shove away the tears that rose in his eyes at the thought of it. What was he going to do when Azula won the duel? Did Uncle have any idea what he was getting himself into?

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Azula had honestly been uncertain as to whether she would challenge Iroh at the dinner itself, or wait until he was somewhere more private and challenge him then. One of those ways would, obviously, be far more humiliating for her dear Uncle, and she did have such fond memories of him from when she was a younger girl…

 

The notion of letting him surrender to her in private had been a bit of an entertaining one, and she’d strongly considered doing that instead. And then she’d seen the way that  _ her _ omega interacted with him, the way that Zuko cuddled close to him and blushed and hid his face in Iroh’s shoulder.

 

Azula didn’t like to admit that she lost her mind a little bit when she saw it, but she did. It took several minutes for her to regain herself enough to feel comfortable sauntering into the room like she owned it, because she should have owned it. Iroh was the one who’d taken it all from her, and her pregnant omega was cuddling with him, and she couldn’t have that.

 

No, that wasn’t an acceptable outcome at all.

 

But it was fine, wasn’t it? Because now Zuko was staring at her like she’d terrified him, just as it should be. A proper omega should always fear their alpha, and she was going to make absolutely certain that Zuko was a proper omega for her.

 

She smiled sweetly at him and twiddled her fingers at him in a parody of a wave, and watched as even more color drained from his face. She laughed, loud and bright, and beamed when the sound only made Zuko sway, like he was going to faint.

 

Such a weak little omega she had, but that was fine. It wasn’t an omega’s job to be strong. That was the alpha’s job, and Azula was a very good alpha. It wouldn’t take long at all before she could train Zuko out of all those nasty little habits he’d probably picked up when being mounted by their dear Uncle, either.

 

And then everything would be perfect again, which was exactly what Azula wanted.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Iroh did not flee the room to prepare for the coming battle.

 

There was no need to do so; he wasn’t nervous at all. He was concerned for Zuko, who looked genuinely like he was going to faint, and he was deeply worried that the stress was bad for the child, or potentially children, that Zuko carried. And he regretted that he was the cause of such stress in Zuko, but there was nothing to be done about it at the moment.

 

An Agni Kai was exactly what Iroh wanted, although he never would have pushed for it himself. Azula was the best firebender possible for Ukano’s attempted coup, because when he put her down, no other would be foolish enough to challenge him. And he would win, there was no doubt in his mind about that.

 

He did not flee, but he did stand slowly, keeping eye contact with Ukano the entire time. It would do the man good to see how little fear there was in Iroh. Because he wasn’t afraid of Azula. He would defeat her, and while he would mourn the little girl he’d once known, he would not mourn the monster she’d become, the one that had raped her own brother.

 

No, Iroh wouldn’t mourn that person at all, and he would look at this as his duty as Fire Lord. Culling madness from the family line was only to be considered for the best, after all.

 

“Come, Zuko,” he murmured, and helped his omega to his feet. “Help me prepare for the battle.” He spoke gently, carefully, because Zuko was still staring at Azula with wide, terrified eyes. Iroh wanted to block his view, but he thought it would only make things worse.

 

It took a second, but Zuko’s eyes snapped to his own. “Yes, Uncle,” he whispered. He followed Iroh from the room, and as soon as they were in the privacy of their rooms, he flung himself into Iroh’s arms.

 

Iroh held him close, felt the way that he trembled in his embrace, felt the frightened tears that Zuko was trying so hard to hide from him. “It’s going to be okay,” he breathed in Zuko’s ear. “You can’t imagine that she’s going to beat me.”

 

Zuko shook his head. “She’s terrifying,” he whispered. He didn’t move away from Iroh, but instead pressed closer.

 

Iroh didn’t regret accepting her challenge at all, would not regret putting her down like the rabid thing that she was, but he did regret the fear embodied in Zuko’s clinginess. “She won’t defeat me,” Iroh promised. He pressed a gentle kiss to Zuko’s forehead, then took one step back. Zuko followed him, and Iroh fought down a small laugh. “Zuko, I really do need to get ready for battle. Unless you think I should fight her in these fancy clothes.”

 

Zuko jerked back, his eyes wide, and then he stumbled a few steps away. “No!” He looked towards Iroh’s room, then back at him. “You can’t face her in anything less than full armor,” he said quickly. “She’s very good, Uncle, and if you give her any sign of weakness…” He stopped talking and breathed in, the sound hitching a little.

 

“I won’t let her hurt me,” Iroh soothed. He took Zuko by the shoulders and drew him in for a soft, sweet kiss, before pulling away. “I promise you. I’m going to win this fight, and then she won’t be a problem for either of us again.”

 

Zuko stared up at him, his eyes wide and a little bit dazed, and Iroh would have worried that he was going to have some kind of fit, but he blinked and shook his head and snapped himself out of it. “Promise?” he asked, his voice soft and needy.

 

“I swear,” Iroh breathed. He kissed him again, then took a step back. “Now, I really do need to get into my armor, and I’d also like to get myself in more of the right mindset to do battle. Could you do me a favor and have a guard send Aang in to see me while I’m getting ready?”

 

Zuko’s brow furrowed. “Aang?” he asked, clearly confused.

 

Iroh wanted to explain, but there wasn’t that much time. The Agni Kai would take place within the hour, and he needed to spend as much time as he could preparing. “Please,” he said instead, and backed up a step.

 

Zuko hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll have him sent for,” he said quietly. He backed up towards the door, and while he was sticking his head out, speaking to the guards on the door, Iroh headed into the bedroom and pulled out his armor.

 

He wore it far too much these days, especially considering that he’d once hoped to never need it again, but Zuko was worth wearing it once more.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Aang didn’t know what Iroh wanted, but it wasn’t like he was going to turn around and walk away when the Fire Lord asked him for a brief audience before the Agni Kai. Whatever it was that Iroh needed, Aang would do his best to provide.

 

Even if he wasn’t entirely sure that he could help in this situation.

 

“What do you need from me?” he asked when he entered the room, to find Iroh settled on the floor in a lotus position, his hands resting on his knees.

 

Iroh’s eyes opened and he stared at Aang. His scrutiny was a bit unnerving, but it was nothing that Aang couldn’t handle. “I’m going to win this fight,” Iroh said calmly. He looked away. “That’s what I want to say. And in all honesty, I probably will. But there is a chance…” He stopped talking.

 

“Azula might not play fair,” Aang said. “And she’s younger, and maybe faster. And you’re worried.”

 

Iroh dipped his head in a nod of acknowledgment. “If I lose, Azula will take my place as the Fire Lord.” He drew in a shaky breath. “She’ll take Zuko as her omega, and she’ll destroy him. Aang, you cannot let that happen.”

 

Aang straightened his shoulders. “What are you asking me to do?” He wanted to be very clear about what Iroh expected of him, because he didn’t want to promise something awful, like that he would kill Zuko before letting Azula have him. He didn’t think he had that in him.

 

“If I lose this fight,” Iroh started, and then stopped. He looked down at his hands, and Aang saw for the first time a tired old man with regrets that he couldn’t begin to understand. “If I lose this fight, I want you to take Zuko, and get him out as fast as you can. Get him away from Azula before she can do any more damage to him. Get him someplace where he can live out the rest of his days in peace, because I think that my loss would break him.”

 

Aang shivered at the very thought of what might happen to Zuko if Iroh lost the battle, emotionally speaking. He might still be a child, but even he could see that Zuko’s attachment to Iroh was… intense, to say the least.

 

“I can do that,” he said finally into the silence that fell between them. “Katara beat Azula once, and I know that she’s willing to help me. So we’ll keep him safe, Iroh. Please don’t worry about that.”

 

Some of the stress left Iroh’s face. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “It eases my heart to know that you’ll look after him, should the worst happen.”

 

Aang tried out a smile, and found that it came to his lips with only a little bit of struggle. “Then I’m glad to help.”

 

A gong sounded before either Aang or Iroh could say anything else, and Aang jumped. Iroh, however, didn’t seem startled at all. “It’s time,” he said quietly, and rose to his feet with a grace that Aang would not have expected from him.

 

Aang swallowed. “Katara and I will sit with Zuko,” he said softly. “And we’ll keep him safe for you, no matter what happens.”

 

Iroh nodded, but said nothing more. When he swept from the room, Aang followed, and Zuko fell into step beside him, quiet and subdued.

 

More than anything, Aang hoped that this would work out well. He didn’t want to see the Fire Nation under Azula’s control, and didn’t want to see Zuko without his alpha.

 

ooOOooOOoo

 

Zuko didn’t think he could watch, but he also couldn’t bring himself to look away. The battle was going to be intense, and terrifying, and he was absurdly grateful to be bracketed by Aang and Katara, with Sokka, Toph, and Suki behind them.

 

Someone’s hands landed on his shoulders, giving him a light, bracing shake, and it helped to remind him that they were there, that he wasn’t alone, that if Iroh lost… 

 

No. Zuko couldn't even stand to think about that. Iroh wasn’t going to lose.

 

And then the battle was on, and Zuko knew that he wasn’t going to be able to watch for long, because it was terrifying. Iroh wasn’t holding back. He was fast, and strong, and his bending was at its peak. Azula, on the other hand… 

 

She let out an enraged shriek when Iroh scored a small hit against her, and as Zuko watched, she quickly unravelled. She wasn’t using her lightning at all, and it was very possible that she wasn’t able to do it anymore. It took a great deal of focus, and watching her, Zuko didn’t think she had any at all. Her movements were erratic, her fury immense. It made her attacks powerful, but because she wasn’t able to focus those attacks, it made her less of a threat.

 

He began to relax, thinking that maybe Iroh would be fine. He could win. Watching him move, his control and precision, he knew that Iroh was going to triumph. Now… now it was a question of what would happen to Azula. Would she…

 

Zuko knew the answer as soon as his Uncle summoned lightning into the battle, striking at Azula with it. Iroh wasn’t planning to let her walk away from the fight. Zuko shuddered as she got hit on the arm and let out a pained scream.

 

He looked away, shifting closer to Aang and burying his face in the Avatar’s robes.

 

Aang jumped at the movement. “You okay?” he asked, and Zuko felt gentle arms curl around him, felt Katara shift closer to him and rest a hand on his back.

 

“No,” Zuko admitted. “I’m not okay, and I can’t watch.” He knew what was coming. And Azula… maybe she deserved it, for the terrible things she’d done and would have done, for… for taking advantage of his heat, a thing he never wanted to think about but was always in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t watch it happen.

 

There were a few more explosions, the sound of lightning striking dirt, and then Zuko flinched when Azula let out a last, piercing shriek, wailing like he’d never heard before from her. It was a death cry. He might have been able to pretend otherwise, but the smell of charred flesh reached his nose, even through Aang’s robes, and he gagged a little.

 

There was silence in the arena, a silence punctuated by the thrum of anticipation, like people were waiting to find out what was next. What more could be next? Azula was dead. She couldn’t try to hurt him anymore.

 

And then Iroh cleared his throat, and Zuko jerked away from Aang so that he could watch.

 

“As you can see, I have defeated the only person who might have had a claim to this throne,” Iroh said, his voice calm, peaceful, like he hadn’t just killed Azula. Like Zuko couldn’t see her corpse on the ground, discarded like a broken doll.

 

He wished it hadn’t come to that, no matter what she’d done to him.

 

But Iroh was still talking, and Zuko forced his attention back to his Uncle. “There are those of you in the audience who conspired to have her challenge me. Don’t think that I am unaware of you, because I am not. I know who you are, and I know your plans. I invite you to speak to me now, to air your grievances where everyone can hear. If you do not, if you choose to persist in your foolish vendetta, I will be forced to destroy you as I destroyed Azula.”

 

Zuko didn’t expect anyone to respond. Who would be so foolish, having just seen Iroh do what he’d done? Who could doubt his power, his ability to lead the Fire Nation?

 

And then someone, Mai’s father Ukano, stood, the movements slow and steady. “You are, old, Fire Lord Iroh, and weak. You should step aside for younger blood.”

 

Zuko saw red, and was lashing out with his fire before he could stop himself. How dare the man say something like that to his Uncle, to Iroh, who was the strongest and kindest alpha that Zuko knew?

 

He’d only flung a small lick of it in Ukano’s general direction was he was grabbed by one arm, interrupting the kata, and tugged into someone’s embrace. He would have fought it, but he recognized his alpha’s scent immediately. Iroh. Iroh was holding him.

 

“It’s okay, Zuko,” Iroh murmured, and pressed a kiss to his hair. “I can handle this.”

 

Zuko believed him, trusted that he could more than handle Mai’s bureaucrat of a father. And Iroh’s arms were warm, and safe, and he had little interest in pulling away. So he didn’t. Instead, he closed his eyes, snuggled just a little bit closer, and listened to what was to come.


	10. Chapter 10

Iroh was almost certain that Zuko didn’t realize the amount of fire he’d almost sent Ukano’s way, because he knew that Zuko had done his best to avoid killing people in the past. And Ukano was no bender, and was old himself. Iroh was just glad that he’d gotten there in time to stop Zuko, to grab him by the arm and pull him close so that he didn’t hit Ukano, and anyone around him, with a tsunami of fire.

“You think I’m old?” Iroh asked, keeping his voice even with little effort. He wasn’t even winded from his fight with Azula, as much as his heart still ached from having to kill his niece. She was crazy, and for hurting Zuko she’d had it coming, but he’d known her since she was little, and he’d loved her for a very long time.

She’d been a good girl, once upon a time.

“You are old,” Ukano said, sounding confused. “And weak. And there are others who are better equipped to lead the Fire Nation than you.”

Iroh nodded as Ukano spoke. “It’s true that I’m old,” he said, and winced when Zuko stiffened beside him in irritation. “But I’m hardly weak. Or did you not see the battle I just won?”

“We saw you defeat a madwoman,” Ukano said. “How cruel are you, to strike her down when she could have gotten help? I’m sure there are people who would have been willing to attempt to treat her.”

Iroh’s eyes narrowed. “How cruel are you, to manipulate her into challenging me to a battle?” he asked, and watched as Ukano reared back as though he’d been slapped. “Do you think me ignorant as to who broke Azula out of her cell? Did you think that, when the firebender in the midst of all of your meetings came to me, that he didn’t tell me about all of your backup plans?”

“He didn’t know about Azula,” Ukano said, his lips gone bloodless with shock. He was swaying a little, like he was going to pass out.

Honestly, Iroh’s life would be so much easier if he would. “It wasn’t much of a leap to make,” Iroh said with a small shrug. “And if you are genuinely concerned for my strength and ability, I invite any other firebender present to challenge me to a battle, right now. I guarantee you that I would win.”

“Iroh,” Zuko breathed, horror in his voice.

Iroh ignored the shocked murmurings that rose and instead turned his full attention to his omega. “It’s okay,” he murmured, and brushed Zuko’s hair back from his face. “None of them are foolish enough to challenge me, and even if they were, none of them are dangerous enough to actually hurt me.”

“You don’t know that,” Zuko said, his eyes wide and pained. He looked genuinely terrified, and he trembled like he was.

Iroh regretted very much that he’d allowed Zuko to watch the battle. But he thought it would have been worse for Zuko by far to be kept away from the battle, where he would have to wait to hear the news, never knowing how the battle was going. That, he thought, would have absolutely been a form of torture for his nephew.

“I do know that,” Iroh murmured. He continued to stroke his fingers gently over Zuko’s cheek, then cupped said cheek and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Zuko’s lips. “I know that I am stronger than anyone else in this room, because I am fighting to keep you.”

Zuko blushed, his eyes widening a little bit more, but his trembling eased ever so slightly. Iroh let himself relax. That was good. Stress, from what he understood, was bad for babies, and Zuko was already incredibly stressed because of how the babies had come to exist in the first place.

“You really would fight any other firebender, right here and now?” Ukano asked, his voice shaking a little.

Iroh returned his attention to the man who’d orchestrated this entire thing, if his intelligence was correct. “I really would,” he agreed. “And I would win, and I think that everyone here, except maybe for you, knows that.”

“I’m starting to understand that,” Ukano muttered. Iroh wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear him or not, but he did hear him, and allowed a small smile to appear on his face. “We are willing to withdraw our complaints for now,” Ukano said finally, and sat down at his seat as though nothing had happened.

Part of Iroh wanted to press the matter, wanted to force the issue until it was no longer a matter of ‘for now,’ but was instead a matter of never challenging Iroh again, because Zuko was upset when that happened.

Unfortunately, just as he opened his mouth to comment further on the issue, Zuko let out a pained cry and doubled over, his hand going to his stomach. Iroh’s heart dropped. He shot a scathing glare in Ukano’s direction, one that served as both a threat and a promise of retribution if anything went wrong, then turned immediately to his omega to try and soothe him and figure out what was wrong.

Katara joined them immediately, her water already in her hands as she prepared to find out what was wrong. Never before had Iroh appreciated the waterbender more than in that very moment.

ooOOooOOoo

Katara kept her hands steady as she examined Zuko, who was pale and visibly in pain. The pain was centered around his stomach, which meant it had to be something wrong with the pregnancy. Katara was terrified, because she knew the pregnancy was difficult on him, but she couldn’t imagine that he’d handle it well if anything happened to it.

“Can we get him someplace quieter?” she asked after a moment of silent concentration. “He should be okay to move.” She could feel that something was wrong, but that whatever it was probably wasn’t major. Yet. She was reluctant to say more than that without getting a second opinion from a healer who had more experience than she did, however.

“Of course,” Iroh murmured. He scooped Zuko into his arms, and ignored the quiet protests that Zuko made as he carried him from the room and back to their personal suite. Katara followed behind, doing her best to hide a smile at the quiet arguments Zuko was making for being allowed to walk.

Another healer met them at their personal rooms, one that Katara had never met before, but whom Zuko and Iroh both apparently recognized, judging by Zuko’s wrinkled nose and Iroh’s slight relaxation. Katara said nothing while the second healer examined Zuko, wanting to let her make her own conclusions, and just waited patiently.

“If I could speak with my fellow healer?” the old woman said quietly, and motioned for Katara to join her in the hallway for a brief conversation.

Katara followed. “It’s stress, right?” she asked, hopeful that she was right.

The old woman smiled. “Yes,” she agreed. “It is indeed stress related. Zuko has been taxing himself too heavily, and should avoid bending or anything else that causes more stress to his body.”

Katara winced. “He won’t like that,” she muttered. She looked away from the woman. “Did you happen to check on how many babies there were when you were doing the examination? I thought I felt two chi signatures, but…”

“I think you’re right,” the other healer said with a nod. “And since you and I agree on many things, I’m going to let you go in and have a conversation with them about resting more during the course of the pregnancy.”

Katara’s eyes widened. “You’re not sending me in there alone to talk to them, are you?” she squeaked. Why would she do that? Katara was too young for that kind of responsibility!

“Oh, yes I am,” the woman said. She backed up a step, her eyes twinkling. “I’m too old to be dealing with temperamental omegas and their overprotective alphas. Besides, you’re friends with Prince Zuko, are you not? I’m sure he’ll take the news of his enforced bedrest better coming from you than he would from me.”

Katara wasn’t sure about that at all, but she was pretty sure that he grimace managed to adequately display her uncertainty. Nonetheless, she steeled herself and headed back into Iroh and Zuko’s rooms, to find Zuko on the couch, his eyes closed, only the tension in his frame giving away the stressing he was doing.

“Just get it over with,” he ground out. “Tell me that I’m losing the baby.”

“First of all,” Katara said, approaching and settled next to the couch, on the floor. “Babies, not baby. Your other healer confirmed that for you. So, congratulations on the twins.”

Zuko’s eyes popped open. “But I’m not losing them?” he asked. He went to sit up, but Iroh’s hands landed on his shoulders before Katara could stop him herself, holding him in place. “Let me up,” Zuko grumbled, shoving ineffectively at Iroh’s hands.

“Wait until your healer says that you can sit up,” Iroh shot back. “Please. For my own peace of mind.”

Katara swallowed back a laugh, which would have been terribly inappropriate at that time. Instead, she said, “You can sit up if you want, but I’d very much prefer it if you stayed lying down for a little while. And, as of right now, you are not losing the babies.”

Zuko grumbled a bit, but relaxed onto the couch. “If I’m not losing them, then what happened?”

Katara sighed a little, because this was the part of the conversation he was probably going to be most upset about. “You’ve overstressed yourself,” she said, as gently as she could.

“I’ve what?” Zuko’s voice was flat as he asked the question.

“You’ve overstressed yourself,” Katara repeated, staring him in the eyes as she said it. “And stress is bad for babies, and bad for pregnant omegas. Your body is tired, worn down from trying to deal with the stress, and it… gave you a bit of a warning, if you will.”

Zuko glared at her. “For a warning, that hurt,” he muttered. He looked up at the ceiling, and Katara wasn’t at all surprised to see tears forming in his eyes. He probably felt helpless, because he was thinking there was nothing he could do about the stress. She was proven right when he said, “So I’m going to lose them, then?”

“Not necessarily,” Katara said quickly. She smiled at him, the expression gentle. “If you rest, really rest, for the next few weeks, you should be fine. And by rest, I mean that you can’t practice your bending, and you really shouldn’t be out of bed and on your feet for longer than it takes to walk between the rooms in your suite.”

Zuko grimaced. “But that’s boring,” he protested. And then he sighed, his whole body relaxing as he visibly gave in to the idea. “If it’s what I have to do, though, I’ll do it.”

Katara sagged, relaxing a little. That was the thing she’d been most worried about getting him to agree to. Once he’d agreed, though, she could explain that it wasn’t as bad as all that. “You should be able to go from your rooms here to Iroh’s office, or to the courtyard you like to spend time in, provided that you aren’t going alone.”

Zuko brightened. “That’s not so bad, then,” he said.

“But you’ll have to rest while you’re there,” Iroh broke in with. “This is very serious, Zuko, and I’m worried in spite of what Katara is saying.”

“And some fear is normal,” Katara said immediately with a nod. “But honestly? It was all a reaction to the stress. If you just relax, and rest as much as you can, you should make it through the pregnancy just fine.”

Zuko nodded. “I can do that,” he said, a little shakily. “Thank you, Katara.”

Katara smiled at him. “It was my pleasure,” she said honestly. “I’m happy that I was able to help.” It was the least she could do, given how guilty she still felt when she stopped to think about turning him away back when he’d needed her, before the pregnancy was common knowledge.

She stood up, the motion smooth, and backed up a step. “I’m going to let the two of you get some rest. I’m sure that you’re both exhausted, and would like some time alone together.”

Iroh was nodding, and Zuko smiled at her, the expression just a little shaky and shy. She bade them both goodnight, then returned to the rooms she shared with the others, where she let them know that everything was fine, and that Zuko was on bedrest for the foreseeable future, so please don’t encourage him to do anything to break that.

And then she had to hit Sokka, who made a pun about bedrest maybe exacerbating the problem, given what Zuko and Iroh likely got up to as alpha and omega.

ooOOooOOoo

“As much as I hate to say this, you’re incredibly lucky that Zuko made that sound when he did,” Mai said flatly to her father, who was sitting in his study, behind his desk, with his head in his hands.

“I know,” Ukano mumbled, not looking up at her.

Mai’s eyes narrowed. “Do you?” she asked. She crossed the room and went behind the desk, making her father look at her. “Do you have any idea how dangerous Iroh is? You do understand that the man was instrumental in driving the Fire Nation out of Ba Sing Se, right?”

“I understand that there were other people involved in that,” Ukano said. He still wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Yes,” Mai allowed, because there had been other people there. “But Iroh was in charge, and they couldn’t have won that battle without him. He is powerful, and that power has never waned as his age increased. His dislike of using that power has increased, and you are incredibly lucky for that fact.”

“You think I’m lucky?” Ukano let out a bitter little laugh. “Mai, I’ll be lucky if your mother doesn’t leave me over this mess.”

Mai thought that her mother probably should. She also thought that maybe saying it out loud wasn’t necessarily the best idea. Then she reconsidered. “Mother should,” she said flatly, bluntly, and watched Ukano flinch at the words. “She should take my little brother and get away from you, especially if you plan to persist in this vendetta against Iroh. Because he will destroy you if you keep harassing him.”

“He doesn’t deserve everything he has!” Ukano roared, and slammed his hands on the desk for emphasis.

Mai’s eyebrow twitched. “And neither do you,” she snapped back. “You were never going to be related to the Fire Lord, father, not even through marriage. Zuko and I never would have lasted, and I’m not interested in an omega anyway. The faster you realize that, the better off you’re going to be in the long run.”

Her father glared at her, but then his shoulders slumped and the fight seemed to leave him all at once. “I know,” he said tiredly. “I know. And trust me, Mai, I’ve realized that my actions are futile at this point. Iroh is the Fire Lord, whether that’s good for our nation or not.”

Mai let herself relax. “Good,” she said quietly. “So now what are you going to do? Formally apologize to Iroh for making an ass of yourself? He’d probably accept it if you do nothing more to indicate your disloyalty to him.”

Ukano shook his head almost immediately. “I can’t bring myself to apologize to the man when I still don’t think he’s a good choice for Fire Lord. I think that we’re going to move out of the capital, perhaps go stay on Ember Island for a time.”

Mai nodded as he spoke. “That seems like a wise idea,” she said. Then she hesitated, because… surely her father wouldn’t assume… of course he would. “You know that I won’t be going with you, of course?”

Her father began to bluster in protest, and Mai cut him off with a shake of her head. “I’m not going to change my mind. I’m staying here, with Ty Lee. Zuko is my friend, and I’m not going to leave when he might need me.” She hadn’t asked Ty Lee, but she was certain that her girlfriend wouldn’t mind.

Her father opened his mouth, she thought to protest again, but all he said was, “Then be safe, and be well.”

Then he looked away from her, and Mai thought it was probably better that way anyway. She’d never had anything in common with her family, and now the break would be more apparent than ever.

She left Ukano’s office feeling pleased with herself, and visited Ty Lee, who was incredibly happy to see her, and definitely didn’t mind having her stay with her for the foreseeable future.

ooOOooOOoo

Zuko practically purred when Iroh hand fed him one of the tiny little sandwiches that he was starting to love. He was tired, and his stomach still hurt a little from the events earlier in the evening, but at least his appetite had come back. Still…

“I should be comforting you,” he whispered. He looked down at Iroh’s other hand, which rested on his belly.

Iroh shifted closer to him, pulling Zuko into his arms, and Zuko immediately nestled as close as he could get. “I don’t need to be comforted,” Iroh murmured. “And even if I did, trust me when I say that taking care of you is the best comfort I can be given.”

Zuko flushed at the gentle words. “Thank you,” he whispered, a bit shyly. He pressed even closer to Iroh and buried his nose in the alpha’s neck, inhaling his scent with a tiny little smile. It made everything feel so much better, having Iroh pressed so close to him. It was wonderful.

“I love you,” he blurted out, and then he went a little pale. He hadn’t meant to say that. He didn’t know how Iroh would react, whether he would be okay with it, since there was no way that Zuko meant it in a familial way, and he still worried that—

“I love you too,” Iroh murmured, his voice warm and gentle. He tilted Zuko’s head up with a gentle touch and pressed a long, sweet kiss to Zuko’s lips, leaving him a little bit breathless. “And I’m going to take such good care of you, Zuko, I swear it.”

Zuko shivered at the words, the omega inside of him letting out a pleased purr. Zuko tried to fight it down, but then… wondered why he was bothering, to be honest. He was the omega, and if he wanted to purr at Iroh, he didn’t think his Uncle would begrudge him the sound. He let it out, a bit hesitantly, and was immediately rewarded with an answering sound from Iroh, a low rumble that filled him with contentment.

He leaned up for another kiss, and was rewarded with one that was both soft and sweet, and was also filled with promise that made his cheeks flush lightly. “I love you,” he whispered again.

“I love you too,” Iroh responded once more. Then he pressed a light kiss to his forehead and fed Zuko another small sandwich, which Zuko took without protest.

He was safe now, Azula dead and gone, and nobody else was stupid enough to challenge Uncle. Zuko was sure of that. So he was safe, and he was happy, and it was all that he could have asked for. He smiled sweetly at Iroh and cuddled close to him again, refusing another sandwich.

He was happy, in a way that he’d never thought he’d be able to be. There was nothing more he needed in life. Everything seemed as though it was going to work out just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's still an epilogue to go, but it isn't long and is going up in a minute. Sorry for the long wait; I got sick and had to deal with finals at school at the same time. Hope you enjoyed the story!


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of a smutty epilogue because I couldn't imagine an A/B/O story without a heat period in it.

Zuko shivered, the chill of the room getting to him. Or maybe he was wrong and the room wasn’t cold. Maybe it was his own rising body temperature that was making him shiver. Either way, he wrapped his robe more tightly around himself and hoped that Iroh would be back soon. He felt fevered, and imagined that it was only going to get worse. He wasn’t really sure, though, having never been through this before.

At least, not in quite the same way.

The twins were staying with Mai and Ty Lee for the duration, and he was pretty sure that Katara and Aang were also going to be helping out. Zuko was still nervous at the thought of leaving them alone, without him and Iroh, for the first time in the year since he’d given birth, and leaving them for the week at that, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice.

His oncoming heat would allow for nothing else.

He shivered again, and this time drawing the robe tighter didn’t help at all. He could feel his cheeks starting to flush, feel his body starting to gear up for what it needed, his hole getting slicker with every passing moment, and he didn’t know what to do.

Iroh was busy. He’d be back soon, Zuko knew he would, but he wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t something important. And Zuko didn’t want to disturb him. He knew that Iroh was dealing with a lot, particularly with the Fire Nation colonies that were refusing to be disbanded. Zuko refused to add to his stress.

He would come back when he could.

But he couldn’t tell the omega within himself that, especially when his temperature spiked and he let out an involuntary little noise. He tried to clench that sound between his teeth, trying to refuse to let it escape him, but he couldn’t manage it. It snuck out, and then he was letting out that distressed noise that he’d only ever made once before, the one that had brought Uncle running.

Zuko went to bed immediately and tried to bury his face in his pillow once again, but just as it hadn’t worked in the past, it didn’t work this time. He knew that Iroh would hear him, and though he tried to stop himself, he couldn’t manage it. And, to make matters worse, the position he’d put him in trying to muffle the sound put a delicious sort of pressure on his hard length, and he couldn’t stop himself from thrusting into that pressure. Not that it did any good.

It felt like an eternity passed before the door slammed open and Zuko’s noise was answered by Iroh’s soft, soothing purr. “You should have sent a guard for me,” Iroh murmured and climbed into the bed with Zuko. He took Zuko’s shoulder and flipped him over onto his back. “I would have come.”

His touch, while gentle, still ignited the fire all the way in Zuko, and he let out a wordless, keening whine. He covered his face with his hands, embarrassed by the sound he’d just made. “Sorry,” he mumbled between his fingers.

“Hey, hey,” Iroh murmured, and carefully pried his hands away from his face. “None of that, dear one.” He leaned down and kissed Zuko, the touch of his lips soft and sweet. “No need to be embarrassed for letting me know what you need.”

Zuko closed his eyes and tried to relax, but it was hard. His first heat had passed in a blur of pain and humiliation, and while he was glad that he never had managed to remember it completely, it also made him incredibly nervous about how his heat would go with Iroh. He thought about trying to hide his nervousness, but then remembered that there was no need to hide it at all.

He opened his eyes and met Iroh’s steady gaze. “I’m scared,” he confessed, his voice shaking. His body was on fire, his hole was begging to be filled, his cock ached for release, and he felt like he was teetering on the edge of some yawning abyss.

Iroh’s face softened. “It’s okay,” he murmured. He leaned in and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to Zuko’s bonding mark, the bite long since healed over, and then tilted Zuko’s head towards him to give him another kiss, just as soft and sweet.

Zuko whined and shifted fitfully on the bed, his body responding without any instruction from him, wrapping itself around Iroh as completely as he could.

Iroh laughed, the sound kind rather than mocking, and carefully dislodged him. “I can’t take care of you if I’m stuck in my clothes,” Iroh said when Zuko let out a noise of protest.

Zuko closed his eyes and drew in a shuddering breath, drawing on all of the self control he possessed. “Sorry,” he said. He reached for the tie to his robe, only to have his hands stilled by Iroh’s.

Zuko opened his eyes again and let his hands fall away. He kept his eyes on Iroh’s as Iroh opened his robe, smoothing his weathered hands over Zuko’s chest as he went. Zuko let out a small, shuddering sigh. “Please,” he whimpered, the word escaping him before he could stop it.

“Anything you need,” Iroh murmured. He shifted Zuko on the bed, and before Zuko could beg him for anything more, he was sliding into him in one smooth motion.

Zuko cried out as the flames inside of him rose, his eyes fluttering closed. Iroh fucked him through it, his hard length spearing Zuko and filling him perfectly, so that the emptiness inside of Zuko burned away with the heat. He screamed when Iroh’s hands stroked along his cock, bringing him first over one peak, then into another. Only then did Iroh begin to swell, locking their twisting bodies together.

Zuko didn’t know how long it had been, but the fever inside of him eased slightly when Iroh knotted him. “How long?” he gasped out, his voice hoarse from screaming.

Iroh laughed, the sound startling in its loudness. “Oh, Zuko, we still have an entire week to go,” he murmured. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Zuko’s forehead. “This is really just beginning.”

Zuko shuddered and whined, and Iroh kissed him, their tongues tangling leisurely together. “It’s not like it was the first time,” he breathed when Iroh pulled back. Already, he could feel the fire inside of him starting to return again.

“No,” Iroh agreed. “Because I love you, and I’ll cherish you forever, and you love me, too.”

Zuko nodded in agreement, then let out a shuddering cry as he gave himself over to the flames inside of him once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and they lived happily ever after. The end!


End file.
